After a dramatic policy change at the start of the crisis, when Scholz shut down the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia a few days before its invasion of Ukraine and then promised a major leap in defense spending, his partners they accuse him of hesitation. “I have the impression that Mr Scholz is not aware of the serious damage that is being done to Germany’s reputation in Central Europe, in Eastern Europe, basically throughout Europe,” Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the European Parliament’s Green Committee, told Reuters. . Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Seven weeks after the war, the lower Green and Liberal Liberal Democrats (FDP) parties in Scholz’s coalition are outraged that Berlin is not responding to calls from Ukraine to send more heavy weapons, amid warnings from Kyiv that Russia is stepping up a major offensive in southern and eastern Ukraine. read more Some in Soltz’s three-party coalition with the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) also want to do more to reduce Germany’s energy dependence on Russia. read more “He must finally show leadership,” Hofreiter said. Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin blamed the German government for half-hearted support in Kyiv and said his country had fallen victim to Germany’s “shameful” dependence on Russian oil and gas. He also demanded more heavy weapons. read more Asked by rbb24 Inforadio on Wednesday if he was showing a leading role, Scholz replied: “Definitely …, and enough.” Government sources said the moderate chancellor considered it part of his role to hold back the heterogeneous coalition of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP and that he was not too bothered by the short-term declines in popularity and did not react to them. Scholz also said in a radio interview that Berlin was sending anti-tank weapons, air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine. He quickly added: “We will make sure that NATO, NATO countries and … Germany do not become part of the war.” OPERATION OF BALANCE Scholz must balance pressure from the Greens in particular to increase arms supplies to Ukraine with some caution over elements of his SPD, which has long advocated a Western rapprochement with Russia before the war in Ukraine. read more Underscoring the Greens’ strong stance, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a member of the Green Party, called this week for more heavy weapons, adding: “Now is not the time for excuses, but for creativity and pragmatism.” Hofreiter went further and called for a “minimum” coal and oil embargo against Russia. The European Union last Friday overcame a number of divisions to adopt new sweeping sanctions against Russia, including bans on imports of coal, wood and chemicals. However, oil and gas imports from Russia – the economic salvation of its war machine, critics say – have remained untouched so far, with Berlin leading the resistance. Germany, Europe’s largest and richest economy, gets about 25 percent of its oil and 40 percent of its gas from Russia. Russian gas accounts for 40% of total EU imports of this energy source. read more “I am of the opinion that even a full energy embargo is possible,” said Hofreiter, who visited Ukraine this week with Michael Roth of the SPD and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of the FDP, chairmen of foreign affairs committees. and parliament’s defense respectively. Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Political Risk Advisors, expects Germany to eventually lift sanctions on oil in the event of a break with Western unity. “The cracks are really starting to show in the coalition, but the ups and downs are (that) Germany’s policy towards Russia and Ukraine is completely unsustainable,” he told Reuters in an email. “In terms of oil sanctions, EU budget support, Berlin’s position will have to evolve.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references from Reuters TV and Andreas Rinke Editing by Mark Heinrich Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
