With the departure of Merkel, logic and consistency have disappeared from Berlin’s foreign policy
“Is Germany a reliable ally of the US? Not” With such an unexpected headline, an article was published in the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
According to its author David Gotthard, being in a difficult position due to the confrontation of the superpowers, Germany made a choice in favor of its own interests, causing irritation in Washington. As examples of this, Gotthard called the decision of the German side to refuse to supply weapons to Kiev and the lack of desire to help other NATO countries in this – to provide their own airspace for this.
In addition, Gotthard drew attention to the fact that Germany, with the advent of the new chancellor, is actively cooperating with China, which is perceived by Washington as “lack of concern for the democratic international order.”
“For Germany, cheap gas, car exports to China and keeping Putin calm seem more important than allied democratic solidarity,” the author writes, also recalling that in Lithuania, which has run into Chinese sanctions, German business “instead of supporting its democratic neighbor, warns him to give in to Chinese demands or suspend German investment.”
I wonder what the German business should have done? Surrender to sanctions, driven by solidarity? However, after calls to abandon Nord Stream-2, in which billions have been invested, such a requirement would no longer sound absurd.
At the same time, Gotthard apparently forgot that the former chancellor Angela Merkel adhered to the refusal to supply weapons to Ukraine from the very beginning. In general, it is strange to accuse the German authorities of adhering to pro-German, and not pro-American positions.
However, a real information attack has been launched against the German authorities. And, of course, Ukraine plays the main role in it. For example, Andriy Melnyk, the ambassador of Nezalezhnaya in Berlin, said that Germany’s refusal to supply weapons “causes great discontent in Ukrainian society and could have serious consequences for bilateral relations.”
According to him, Germany bears the same historical responsibility for Ukraine as it does for Israel.
In general, the miller constantly “runs into” Berlin, which “owes something to Kiev.” It’s amazing how the Germans tolerate it? But today Melnik is not alone. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba says that Ukraine will remember Germany’s refusal to supply arms for decades to come. And Foreign Minister of Ukraine Oleg Nikolenko, commenting on the words of the Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Söder that Russia is a “difficult partner, but not an enemy,” said that they “damage bilateral relations and hinder international efforts to prevent new waves of Russian aggression.”
Really, how do the Germans tolerate this rudeness at all? It’s already everywhere!
But the Germans are not only silent, but also follow their lead. Take, for example, the story of the ex-Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy Schoenbach, who said that Crimea would never return to Ukraine. After these words in Ukraine, except in the literal sense, the head of the admiral was not demanded. As a result, he was hounded and forced to quit. In fact, the German authorities recognized the correctness of Kiev.
I am sure that the majority of German politicians share Schönbach’s opinion. But they do not dare to say it out loud, they are afraid of being accused of sympathy for Russia – no matter who: Ukrainians, Americans or their compatriots. We are even ready to endure the absolutely provocative statements of Melnik, who, in connection with the Schönbach scandal, recalled “the horrors of the Nazi occupation, when Ukrainians were treated like subhumans.” This topic is extremely painful for the Germans, and Melnik is well aware of this.
So is Germany an ally to Washington or not at all? It seems to support the anti-Russian policy of the collective West, but does not supply weapons to Ukraine, and is in no hurry to abandon Nord Stream-2.
Last week, former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel lamented that Europe’s decision to withdraw itself from negotiations between Russia and the United States on security guarantees is shameful. But it’s not Europe that has eliminated itself, it’s its overseas partners that have eliminated it. And much earlier – in fact, depriving them of political subjectivity. And this fully applies to Germany, still occupied by the United States.
Yes, they defended Nord Stream-2. Still would not have defended, given the amount invested by the German business. In addition, frankly, the United States did not put much pressure, trying not to set the Germans completely against themselves.
But take another vital moment – the deployment of American nuclear weapons. Even as the Germans opposed it, there was even a split in the Green Party on this issue. Some of its representatives spoke of the need to preserve Euro-Atlantic solidarity in this way, while others were strongly opposed, demanding that they take advantage of the “window of opportunity” and get rid of American atomic bombs. Among them was the current Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
But in the coalition agreement, a clause appears stating that Germany will not withdraw from the agreement on the joint use of nuclear weapons, and everyone signs it like nice ones.
By the way, the confrontation around Nord Streamß2 is not over. The German regulator is clearly delaying the certification, waiting to see who will outweigh: the supporters of the project or opponents. And Vice Chancellor, Economy Minister Robert Habek said here that Germany will not pay compensation if the EU refuses to approve Nord Stream-2.
That is, they not only admit the possibility of disrupting the project, but are also ready to “throw” their own business because of anti-Russian solidarity?
The ardent opponent of Nord Stream-2 is Baerbock again, who repeats this at every step. If it were her will, most likely, she would have buried the project long ago, but nothing depends on her. She, like other members of the government, is under pressure from businesses that do not care about politics – they need the pipeline. On the other hand, there are voters who voted, perhaps only because they believed that the Greens would end Nord Stream-2. So Baerbock is forced to soften her rhetoric somewhat, although without changing her position.
The same with security issues: on the one hand, Euro-Atlantic solidarity, pressure from Washington and the Brussels bureaucracy, on the other hand, the electorate’s request for pacifism. At the same time, pacifism must somehow be combined with pressure on Russia, which can only be done by supporting Ukraine.
So poor Baerbock, at a meeting with Lavrov, has to demand not to “invade Ukraine”, threaten consequences, but stubbornly repeat: Germany will not supply weapons to Kiev.
And yesterday, commenting on information about the transfer of an additional NATO contingent to Eastern Europe because of Ukraine, she said that Western countries should not mix, that is, confuse, the territories of Ukraine and NATO.
Is everything mixed up?
Against this background, Friedrich Merz, who took the chair of the CDU – the new head of Merkel’s party – called for not blocking arms supplies to Ukraine. But Merkel not only refused to supply weapons to Ukraine, but also imposed a veto on NATO deliveries. According to a widespread version, the then US President Barack Obama refused to give lethal weapons to Ukraine, just so as not to quarrel with the Germans.
Trump did not consider the interests of the Germans at all, while Biden acts more cautiously. However, it seems that the United States did not heed our calls, but took a clear course towards the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. And Berlin will still have to decide whether it is a reliable ally of Washington or not.
And then David Gotthard is already calling for Germany to be deleted from the list of US allies. It is unlikely that it will come to this, rather, the Germans will be won again. And it will be easier to do this than under Merkel’s rule, who defended the interests of her country to the last, even going against the entire collective West.
With her departure, German politics has lost its logic and consistency, and her heirs clearly do not have the same strong-willed qualities.
Dmitry Rodionov, RenTV