German Chancellor Finds Very Clear Words On Russian Aggressive War Due To US Sanctions: Swiss Company Solway Closes Operations In Guatemala

Olaf Scholz has just started speaking when a small sensation occurs: the chancellor speaks clearly. At one point he says, “You can’t negotiate with a gun to your temple – except your own submission.”

Scholz is currently talking about support for Ukraine, which should not decrease. It’s a phrase that could be used as a headline for his speech.

It has been a good year since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. And 369 days ago, Olaf Scholz gave his most famous speech to date in the Bundestag when he said: “We are experiencing a turning point.” Scholz also announced what it should look like. He ushered in a break in foreign and security policy – and promised 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr.

And now, a year later? Where is Germany? How does the chancellor position himself in the war that is still raging on European soil? Olaf Scholz made a government statement this Thursday morning in which he was extremely clear.

Scholz defends his course, is clearly against Vladimir Putin and behind Volodymyr Zelenskyj and even sharply criticizes some demonstrators. Five central propositions show where the chancellor wants to steer the federal government.

1

At the very beginning, Olaf Scholz puts the two crucial messages of his speech: sometimes guns are necessary to create peace. And we will continue to help Ukraine. And “as long as it is necessary”. This formula is a rhetorical solidarity with US President Joe Biden, who has been formulating the same thing in English for some time now: “As long as it takes”.

In this speech, too, Scholz did not say that Ukraine should win the war. His new defense minister and party friend Boris Pistorius is even clearer. This time Scholz also avoids his alternative formulation: Ukraine must not lose this war. Perhaps she seems too weak for this clear speech.

2

Here too, Scholz is very clear. His convictions are directed against a demonstration that took place in Berlin last weekend: some 13,000 people protested together with Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Schwarzer against German arms deliveries.

At the same time, the Chancellor then emphasized that the arms deliveries were “unusual” for Germany. That’s why he understands “all citizens who don’t shout hurray about it”. But the federal government never makes such decisions lightly.

Scholz’s attitude can be summarized as follows: the Chancellor naturally finds such a demonstration at the weekend completely inappropriate. That he condemned her with such harsh words is remarkable for a Chancellor. At the same time, Scholz does not want to give the impression that he is closing himself off to a fundamental debate on arms deliveries.

3

Scholz once again makes it clear that from his point of view, peace efforts are pointless at the moment – because of Putin. He then explicitly praised the fact that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy “proposed proposals for a lasting, just peace” in November.

Scholz states this message in the speech’s introduction: “Every Ukrainian longs for peace – more than anyone else!” He again takes a clear stance against the accusations that peace is currently failing because of Ukraine and not because of Russia.

At the same time, Scholz leaves a door open for himself and Putin by saying that “at the moment” there is nothing to indicate that the Kremlin chief wants to negotiate a just peace.

4

So far, Scholz has been accused of being too lenient with China. He had to defend his trip to Beijing in early November against criticism from his own coalition. That is of course what the chancellor wants to forget with this speech.

By warning about arms deliveries to Russia, Scholz indirectly acknowledges that the federal government is also aware of such considerations. Scholz calls Beijing’s most recent “peace initiative” just a “12-point plan.”

Scholz praises China’s resistance to the use of weapons of mass destruction. And at the same time criticizes that the plan has not been discussed with Ukraine and that Russia is not clearly condemned as an aggressor. A very clear message to Germany’s most important trading partner.

5

When Olaf Scholz addressed the consequences of the turning point for defense policy with these sentences, there was a lot of laughter in the Bundestag. Because one of the main criticisms of the Union (and also some members of the traffic light coalition) is that so far almost nothing has happened with the 100 billion euros of the Bundeswehr’s special fund. That was precisely the central message of the speech about a change of times a year ago.

Scholz does not exercise self-criticism. He reports on the very short list of tender projects that have already been finalized: only the F35 fighter jets. And promises that the “large part” of the special fund projects “must be under contract this year”.

Notable and memorable, Scholz again promised an “increase in the overall defense budget” to “achieve NATO’s two percent target permanently.” Scholz does not explicitly mention the extra ten billion euros that his defense minister is asking for. But it still means the special fund alone isn’t enough for Scholz.

Sources

(t-online/dsc)