Scholz does not trust the US: Report

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Modern Diplomacy
5 Feb 2023 23:10
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According to Modern Diplomacy, the recent actions and statements by Germany's Chancellor reflect his distrust in Washington.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Germany, December 9, 2021 (Reuters)

Describing the current relations between Berlin and Washington, Modern Policy news site reported on Sunday that all in all, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not trust the US.

The conclusion was made based on Scholz's stances on the Ukrainian issue, especially that of supplying Leopards 2 tanks to Kiev.

Politico reported earlier this week, quoting a German military expert which, according to the news site, has strong ties to Berlin's political establishment, that “if the U.S. is involved directly it’s more likely to use military force to defend its allies in Europe."

When taking into consideration that Washington deploys around 40,000 troops in Germany and has already committed almost $30 billion in military aid to Ukraine, nearly 10 times that of Germany's, Scholz’s argument can be reasonably questioned.

However, while NATO's Article 5 requires member states to support each other in case of an attack on one of the members, it does not specify that the support must be through using a military force.

Germany's Chancellor repeatedly expressed his concerns that sending advanced military weapons to Kiev might lead to an "escalation" with Moscow, which Russia also warned about on several occasions.

The report further explained that while pressure from western allies was increasing on Germany to supply Kiev with its Leopard 2 main battle tank, Scholz insisted that the US sends its M1 Abrams first in an attempt to ensure Washington's involvement in any military clash that may occur between NATO and Russia.

In other words, Scholz wants to ensure that the US will get militarily involved to protect Europe in case a security event took place in Ukraine that would lead to dragging NATO members into a direct war with Russia.

“That’s a very strong rationale for Scholz and why he insists that the U.S. is involved,” added the military expert to Politico.