Alliance fallout as Ukraine accuses Germany of 'betrayal'; Where is NATO partner at odds?

During her final official visit to Russia during the closing days of her 16 years of political rein as the chancellor of Germany, key NATO strategist, Angela Merkel had fired dire warnings to the Russian authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin over jailing Kremlin’s critic Alexei Navalny’s and sealing his fate. Merkel blatantly declared that Putin’s rival was poisoned by Russians with the Soviet-era military nerve agent, whom she also treated on her territory. Merkel, renowned as the fierce European leader, had “demanded” Putin to fix his actions. 

In its response, Kremlin argued that “Germany and its allies” were discrediting Russia, without providing "evidence". Despite the powerful clashes and verbal exchanges, threats, deliberations, and bouts of warnings between President Putin and Chancellor Merkel, Berlin had not deterred from its stance, one that Moscow labelled “brazen allegations” from the bloc. At the time, Merkel had predicted that Europe was standing “on the edge of a precipice".

[Image: AP]

Rivals turned allies?

Relations between Merkel and Putin, two of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, had thwarted in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, a major point of discord between two nations. Germany, acting should-to-shoulder with its Western allies and partners, that included the US, UK, and other NATO countries, demanded EU-led sanctions on Russia as the situation in eastern Ukraine and on the Belarus-Poland border escalated earlier last year.

The outgoing German chancellor, in her last call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, had "pledged" military support should Russia attempt to undermine Ukraine’s independence. It “would not go without consequences,” she had said, as the latter condemned Moscow for the deployment of troops near Kyiv’s border. But as Ukraine and Russia entered a new dangerous phase in its longstanding border skirmishes, Germany for the first time not only projected a differing view over Russia from the rest of its NATO partners but completely changed its "tone".

Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine. [Image: AP]

[Image: AP]

The newly elected German chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to allow Estonia to send its German-made weapons to Ukraine, not just that, he went to lengths and imposed a ban on the NATO country against military assistance to Kyiv. All three bordering nations to Germany—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania— pledged support to Ukraine to counter the Russian act of aggression. Germany’s move had first shocked the United States, as the US State Department had just given "green light" to Estonia to send US-made weapons to Ukraine, the WSJ investigative team first report. 

Berlin’s "confusing" pro-Russia stance rattled Britain and Poland, the first nations in the NATO alliance to begin arms shipment to Kyiv and export weapons. “Germany (apparently world’s top arms producers and exporters) has not supported the export of lethal weapons in recent years," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a news conference, despite repeated appeals from the Estonian defence that it “wanted to help Ukraine.” "Hopefully we will get the approval from Germany," Kristo Enn Vaga, adviser to the Estonian defence minister lamented, referring to a block on the German-made D-30 howitzers in a statement to the US-based WSJ newspaper. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. [Image: AP]

All three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, infuriated at German ally, released joined official statement that said they would be exporting the US-made Javelin and Stinger missiles to Ukrainian soldiers to fight an estimated 125,000 Russian troops stationed along the highly volatile frontier. The Baltic States have decided to answer Ukrainian needs and to provide additional defence-related assistance," their statement read. Lithuanian ministry, shocked at Germany’s refusal to unblock the arms export to Kyiv told the press that Lithuanian ministry will deliver US-manufactured weapons to its ally (Kyiv) "in the nearest future,” adding that that the aid “will further enhance Ukraine's capability to defend its territory and population in case of a possible Russian aggression.” 

In this image taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian army's self-propelled howitzers fire during military drills near Orenburg in the Urals, Russia. [Image: AP]

‘Many ask, where does German government actually stand? At the side of the aggressor..’: Ukraine 

In the Sunday op-ed in Germany's Bild newspaper this week, the mayor of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko said that Ukraine was rendered “speechless” at Germany's decision to not send weapons. He called the German arms blockade "a betrayal of friends" and drifting from the alliance collective stance. In a strange announcement, Germany announced that it will “send a field hospital” for the Ukrainian soldiers that will fight against Moscow.

Germany’s absurd response prompted criticism from Kyiv that said, "Many ask themselves the question: where does the German government actually stand? On the side of freedom and therefore on the side of Ukraine? Or at the side of the aggressor?” "Ukraine only wants one thing: to be an independent, democratic and free country!" he added. Germany's defence minister Christine Lambrecht responding to Kyiv stated that Berlin agreed to send 5,000 helmets to Ukraine instead, sending arms “won’t defuse tensions".

As the prospects of full-fledged armed confrontation on the Kyiv and Russia border intensified, global think tanks & geopolitical analysts questioned Germany’s ‘strange and absurd "whataboutism". A hashtag #GermanyAllyOfPutin trended among the supporters of Kyiv and NATO that asked: "What has Putin promised Germany to get them to protect his flank?"

Germany “is failing to understand that we are dealing with a highly equipped Russian army that could start further invading Ukraine at any moment,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko asserted in a remark to Bild daily, as he slammed Russia’s military contribution of 5,000 helmets an "absolute joke". "What will Germany send next? Pillows?” he asked. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba meanwhile lambasted Berlin, as he declared on Twitter: ”German partners must stop such words and actions to undermine unity and encourage Vladimir Putin to a new attack on Ukraine.” As the diplomatic row worsened over Germany’s alleged "NATO fallout" UK, US, NATO, and the European allies expressed shock at the German federal government’s behaviour. 

Germany's FM refuses aggressive acts that have 'a high price for Russia,' Navy chief says: 'Putin deserves respect' 

In the recent remarks on its stance, which Germany describes as the "new peace policy" of the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, told a conference, “Each further aggressive act will have a 'high price for Russia' economically, strategically, and politically.” In all, Germany blatantly refused to join the UK, US, and NATO countries in providing military assistance to Ukraine, a matter now a great cause of concern for the now divided regional alliance. 

Germany's top navy officer vice-admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach separately sparked controversy this week during his trip to India, as he told a live-streamed event in New Delhi that Putin “deserves respect” and Kyiv will never win. Is Russia really interested in having a tiny strip of Ukrainian soil, to integrate into their country?” the 56-year-old said in an optimistic tone to Putin. He also blatantly appeared to tell Kyiv that territories of Crimea were “gone” and would “never come back”. Ukraine’s ambassador in Berlin questioned Germany’s "trustworthiness" and as West demanded answers, the head of the German Navy, instead, abruptly stepped down from his position as he turned in a resignation. 

It is to be noted that the UK, whose Airforce was spotted avoiding the German air corridor earlier this week whilst supplying arms to Kyiv, has openly been critical of Germany for being "overly dependent on Russia" for energy. British foreign secretary, Liz Truss, expressed astonishment at Germany’s attitude, as she told a presser that Germany providing any weapons to be used against Russia for the first time since the second world war would be “an anathema.” UK and Germany traded barbs as German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told the UK that his decision was rooted “in the whole development of the past years and decades”. US journals meanwhile ran a bold headline in its newspapers: “Is Germany a Reliable American Ally? Nein.”