Olaf Scholz’s Ukraine strategy no longer enough for Germany’s allies

Bloomberg

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is getting left behind by the international effort to help Ukraine stand up to Russia and has no obvious way back into the fold.
The 63-year-old Social Democrat has resisted directly supplying tanks and other heavy weapons to Ukraine and opposed an embargo of Russian oil and gas. His policies have him in a tight corner and risk holding back Germany’s allies just as Russia embarks on a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.
After bringing Germany’s defense policy more in line with its partners in the early stages of Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Scholz has failed to keep pace with the changing dynamics. Evidence of war crimes by Russian troops and Ukraine’s tenacious defense have led to calls for more aggressive action, especially by fellow Nato members in the Baltics.
“Now is not the time for sitting on the fence or showing a mere token
support to Ukraine,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters at a news conference in Riga, standing next to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
He also called on Germany to “do the right thing” and back a proposal to sanction Russian oil imports in the next package of European Union measures.
“We understand that it is a very difficult political and economic decision that has to be explained to the people in Germany,” Landsbergis said. “But I think that in this case, probably it’s unavoidable.”
Donald Tusk, the former president of the European Council, was more blunt.
“The Germans must firmly support Ukraine today if we are to believe that they have drawn conclusions from their own history,” he said on Twitter.
After a video call with Group of Seven counterparts, Scholz had an opportunity to counter mounting criticism. Instead, he obfuscated. He said Germany
didn’t have equipment to send Ukraine, questioned the ability of Kyiv’s
military to operate modern weapons systems and insisted Berlin wouldn’t become directly involved in the war.