Olaf Scholz said, “Germany is ready” to take on an increased leadership role. The German chancellor said his country has a “special responsibility” as the largest NATO country within Europe.
“I will fully live up to that responsibility,” Scholz said.
I spoke with delegates who attended the “EU Defense Night,” and it was evident that they had high expectations of Germany as a stabilizing force in the defense alliance.
They are not the only ones with expectations.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started a bilateral meeting with Olaf Scholz by saying, “Thank you, Olaf, for the air defense.”
Germany provided Ukraine with a third Patriot air defense system and made extensive efforts to gather more within NATO.
Scholz is a little more hesitant when asked whether he is willing to assist Zelenskyy with his latest request.
Zelenskyy wants more fighter jets and permission to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Scholz would rather publicly discuss what has now been achieved — the $50 billion loan based on frozen Russian assets and the new air defense package
Scholz has repeatedly promised Germans that they will not be dragged into the conflict. NATO’s support operations for Ukraine were no longer allowed to be called a “mission” following a German veto.
There were fears in Berlin this could sound too much like NATO getting actively involved in the conflict.
So it is fair to say Germany is ready to take more of a leadership role while also being very cautious about the situation in Ukraine.
DW’s chief political editor, Michaela Küfner, is accompanying the German delegation at the NATO summit in Washington.