Policy

Scholz unveils plan to help Ukraine

On the eve of his visit to the United States, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal entitled “A Russian victory in Ukraine would endanger us all”. In it, the German leader calls on the West to continue supporting Ukraine and proposes his plan of action, according to the

Scholz begins by saying that Russia should never be allowed to win in Ukraine, as it would deal a serious blow to the global liberal order and encourage other authoritarian leaders around the world to become more aggressive.

He goes on to note that the EU is the largest provider of financial aid to Ukraine, with the EU having allocated $91 billion. This is followed by the US and Germany itself.

“Since the beginning of the war, my government has allocated, procured and delivered more than $30 billion worth of military equipment, including tanks, artillery and high-value air defence systems. This is in addition to Germany’s non-military support, including the hosting of more than a million Ukrainian refugees, and our share of EU support,” he wrote,

– scholz writes.

However, due to the lack of aid, Ukraine is already facing a serious shortage of weapons and ammunition. If this trend continues, all previous efforts may be in vain.

Scholz’s action plan

First, the West must continue to support Ukraine. The EU has already decided to allocate 50 billion euros for Ukraine.

“We need to add military assistance to this. I have called on my European colleagues to take the necessary budgetary decisions,”

– the Chancellor added.

He also said that Germany was ready to provide Ukraine with long-term security assurances.

The second point of Scholz’s plan actually seems to be a clarification of the first point. It is that the West must convince its citizens that a Russian victory would make the world a much more dangerous place for everyone and threaten the freedom and prosperity of Western countries.

Finally, the cornerstone of Western policy, Scholz reminds us, is that the West must oppose any attempt to involve NATO in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

However, NATO must nevertheless be a reliable bloc. That is why, for example, Germany plans to deploy full-fledged combat troops in Lithuania.

“The sooner Putin realises that the West is involved in this war for a long time, the sooner his war against Ukraine will end,”

– scholz concludes.

The German chancellor’s article in the WSJ was published on the eve of his visit to the United States, which begins today, 8 February. Among other things, Scholz is expected to discuss support for Ukraine with members of Congress, and the next day he will meet with US President Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, the US Senate has failed to pass a bill to help Ukraine: it will be reconsidered.