![]() That is why German governments kept clinging to Nord Stream 2, the pipeline that would bring Russian gas directly to Germany, circumventing Ukraine and Poland. The US commitment reassures Germany, which, since the launch of then-chancellor Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik Tin the 1970s, had tried to position itself on the Kremlin’s good side. But these are convenient technicalities beloved by critics of the deal. It is said to be too heavy for the soft Ukrainian terrain, and it requires complex resupply, for example, it runs on jet fuel, not diesel, and highly trained maintenance personnel. In the end, Biden relented, even though the Abrams tank may not be ideal for combat in Eastern Europe. If Mr Big did not go, Germany would not provoke Russia’s modern-day czar. So, behind the scenes, the wrangling unfolded. The chancellor’s mantra was “kein Alleingang” - no going it alone. For months, Scholz had sheltered behind US President Joe Biden’s refusal to dispatch America’s M1A1 Abrams tank. Transatlantic haggling, and “follow the real leader,” the United States, is a better explanation. Nor is the country stepping up to its responsibility as Europe’s richest and most populous country. Such compelling logic, alas, does not crack the puzzle of Germany’s new-found resolve. ![]() He will be emboldened to go for more and intimidate the rest of Europe. If Putin wins this war, he will unhinge a 77-years old European order based on restraint, deterrence and a slew of peace-minded treaties. What is behind this stunning volte-face? Has Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government finally grasped that there is more at stake than moral obligation to the victims of Russia’s war? Stopping and reversing Russia’s westward drive is a fundamental strategic interest. Now, German-made tanks will be rolling into Ukraine. Deemed offensive weapons, these would supposedly expose Germany to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fury. As pressure from Germany’s allies and Ukrainians rose, more serious stuff was dribbled out bit by bit: artillery, shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles, armoured personnel carriers, flak panzers and short-range rockets. Initially, Germany sent only helmets and body armour to Ukrainians battling the Russian invaders. The decision signals a stunning reversal of a longstanding, and obsessively upheld, principle of German foreign policy: no offensive hardware for Ukraine we Germans cannot afford to rile the Russians. A year into the war, Germany is suddenly set to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks. It shows a German panzer with a Ukrainian flag. “Tankeschön”, reads a punning meme making the rounds online these days.
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