“Europe clearly faces a moment when it will be necessary not to be cowards,” French President Emmanuel Macron said this week, in comments that appeared to be aimed at Scholz.
“Scholz’s behavior has showed that as far as the security of Europe goes he is the wrong man in the wrong job at the wrong time,” former United Kingdom Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said last week.
But what might appear to be Scholz’s incoherence is, in fact, a considered strategy.
Ever since Scholz realized Ukraine was capable of defending itself against Russia, his strategy has been to act in tandem with Washington in supplying Ukraine with just enough weaponry and equipment to survive, including anti-aircraft batteries and tanks, while withholding the tools it would need to win.
He has made no secret of this approach. To this day, Scholz, who belongs to Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), has refused to say he wants Ukraine to win the war, saying only that “Russia must not win and Ukraine must not lose.”
That may seem like semantics — but for many Ukrainians, hearing the leader of Europe’s political and economic powerhouse joining their quest for victory would offer an important psychological boost while also sending a clear message to Moscow about Berlin’s commitment.
