While many have pledged support, Germany has a unique historical responsibility toward Zelenskiy and his people. It cannot shirk it, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash
, former chancellor Angela Merkel praised the Netflix series Munich for suggesting that Neville Chamberlain might be seen in a more positive light.) Fatefully, far from reducing its energy dependence on Russia, Germany further increased it after 2014, to more than 50% of its total gas imports, as well as building the never-used Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
This historic mistake led to the third and most recent stage. A month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February last year, a group of leading German figures formulated anfor an immediate boycott of fossil fuels from Russia. “Looking back on its history,” they wrote, “Germany has repeatedly vowed that there must ‘never again’ be wars of conquest and crimes against humanity. Today the hour has come to honour that vow.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided against this radical course, arguing that it would endanger “hundreds of thousands of jobs” and plunge both Germany and Europe into recession. Instead, the country made hugely impressive efforts, led by the Green economy ministerWhile doing so, however, it was paying Russian bills that had soared precisely because of the impact of the war on energy prices.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ben Wallace and EU defence ministers to press Germany over tanks to UkraineUK defence secretary will meet counterparts from Poland and Baltics in drive to get Berlin to agree re-export of Leopard 2 tanks
Read more »
Germany’s no-nonsense new defence minister faces early test over UkraineBoris Pistorius is surprise pick for role as he has a low profile in Germany and is little known internationally
Read more »
Zelenskiy uses Davos speech to intensify call for more tanks from alliesPresident says Ukraine needs heavy armour now but German chancellor is cautious about conflict escalating
Read more »
Davos day 2: Zelenskiy, Scholz, Stoltenberg and Guterres to address WEF – business liveRolling coverage of the World Economic Forum
Read more »
Olaf Scholz steers clear of commitment to supply of Leopard 2 tanks to UkraineZelenskiy warns against delaying military support after German chancellor’s reticence at Davos summit
Read more »
Ukraine could see victory ‘mid-2023’ if ammunition requirement is metUkrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko says if Ukraine is given the right amount of ammunition for weapons from western countries, victory for the country could be achieved “mid-2023”. “The condition is that there’s these weapon deliveries which are in full capacity of everything that Ukraine is asking, and maybe even more, but there’s countries like Germany who are still stalling,” Ms Vasylenko told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “Every day, every bit of Ukraine becomes, or can become a warzone. “There is nothing the West can or cannot do.”
Read more »