Olaf Scholz is not known for his oratory. But at a May Day rally in Dusseldorf on Sunday, as the chanted “instigator of war” and “liar” poured on him, the German chancellor responded with rare clarity and passion.
Addressing the protesters, angry at his decision to send tanks to Ukraine to oppose the Russian invasion, Scholz said he could “respect all kinds of pacifism.” But he must look cynical about a Ukrainian when you tell him to defend himself [Russian president Vladimir] “Putin’s aggression without weapons.” That, he said, was “detached from reality.”
For weeks, Scholz has been under attack for his restraint on Ukraine. Now he found his voice. In television interviews, newspaper columns and public speeches, he went on the offensive, explaining his policy to anxious Germans and defending himself against accusations of hesitation.
“I have always made quick decisions,” he said in an interview with ZDF TV on Monday. “But my course is clear – we must act calmly, in balance. . . There is no point in being impulsive. ”
He may finally be able to deliver his message, said Richard Hillmer, head of Policy Matters. “Scholz’s communication in this crisis was really bad,” he said. “But in ZDF he was clear, he didn’t get around and I think he finally got to the people.”
It was a hot few weeks for Scholz. He has come under sharp attack for resisting sending heavy weapons to Ukraine, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz accusing him of “hesitation, procrastination and timidity” on the issue last week.
He really has to carry people with him. And I think he understands that now
The view that Scholz was too hesitant is widespread in Berlin’s political establishment. “We are doing the right thing, but we are always doing it a little late,” said Christoph Heusgen, former Chancellor of Foreign Affairs Angela Merkel, last week. On issues ranging from shutting down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to shutting down Russian banks from Swift and banning coal imports in the country, “we always strictly exclude everything and then do it anyway,” he said.
Scholz was also criticized for refusing to visit Kyiv, a move that many say would be a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine. He said he could not make the trip after Kyiv told German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier last month, whom Ukrainians do not trust because of his close relations with Russia as foreign minister, that he would not be welcome.
The reaction of Andriy Melnik, Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin, was waning. “Playing the diva is not very stately,” he said.
Studies show that many Germans also perceive Steinmeier’s disregard as an insult. But in general, during the crisis in Ukraine, critics say Scholz often seemed to react to events instead of showing leadership.
“You get the impression [he] it only works when it is cornered and all other possibilities are exhausted, ”said Ben Schrier, head of the Berlin office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
He is also hampered by his speaking style. “He often says ‘my message is very clear’ and then something vague follows,” Frank Bretschneider, a professor of communication at Hohenheim University, told ZDF. “He will speak in long, complex, intricate sentences that one can scarcely understand.”
Assistants say Scholz’s portrayal as indecisive is unfair. They point out that it was the Chancellor who announced one of the most dramatic changes in German foreign and defense policy in the country’s modern history just days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In a speech to the Bundestag, he uncovered a 100 billion-euro fund to modernize Germany’s armed forces, pledged to spend more than 2 per cent of Germany’s GDP on defense – up from about 1.3 per cent now – and said he would wean the country off dependence. its on Russian energy.
Critics say Scholz’s messages have been confusing since then, especially on the issue of heavy weapons for Ukraine. He initially said that sending such equipment could make Germany a party to the conflict and provoke a nuclear war. Last week, he abruptly changed course, approving the delivery of 50 Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. But he did so only after he came under intense pressure from the public, opposition politicians and members of his own coalition.
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But when asked in a ZDF interview about the changed position, he said: “True leadership does not mean giving in to anyone who shouts the loudest and uses false arguments. He had to weigh “everyone [potential] consequences ”of his actions, he added.
Scholz also claims that his caution reflects public sentiment. “Many people in this country are really worried that the war will escalate, that it will go beyond Ukraine, and these fears are quite legitimate,” he said.
Polls confirm this. A survey by ARD DeutschlandTrend in late April found that 45% of Germans were against sending heavy weapons to Ukraine, with 40% demanding limiting military support for Kyiv so as not to “provoke Russia”.
“[Scholz] he acts sensibly, cautiously and with restraint, even in such uncertain times as the German public likes, “Bretschneider said.
Western diplomats in Berlin say Scholz is not to blame for the government’s confused messages, but his defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, a Social Democrat lawyer with little experience in security and foreign policy.
“In a normal government, the defense minister would take the heat in a situation like this,” one said. “But Lambrecht is doing nothing.”
In any case, many observers say the chancellor has already realized the importance of communication in the crisis in Ukraine. “Scholz underestimated how important it is to show leadership – not only in the cabinet, but also in the public arena,” Hillmer said. “He really has to take people with him. And I think he understands that now. “
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