While escalation in Russia-Ukraine crisis, many Western countries have supplied defence aids; yet Germany followed a dignified foreign policy and that was questioned a lot. Berlin administration has declared that they are not taking kindly aiding Ukraine military due to that might escalate the problem and hurt diplomatic ways of reconciliation.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed that “We are not supplying weapons to the crisis regions and we are not aiding attacking weapons to Ukraine. My predecessor did this, this was true and remain true.”
While Germany’s approach caused discussions internally and externally; Berlin government has declared that they will aid Ukraine with military hospital and helmets. Germany’s offer of aiding helmets caused reactions as if it is a joke in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitro Kuleba has reacted by saying that “Our German friends should stop encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin against starting a new attack to Ukraine.”
The experts analyzing Germany’s approach to the crisis by giving financial aids instead of weaponry, has expressed their views to Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), by claiming Berlin administration has followed their economical benefits in that situation.
Supervisor of ANKASAM on EU-Balkans, Assoc. Prof. Nuri Korkmaz: Germany is considering her economical benefits.
Supervisor of ANKASAM on EU-Balkans, Assoc. Prof. Nuri Korkmaz has highlighted that Britain is diversified for Germany from North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) allies and from the European Union (EU) in general, and he claimed that countries like Poland is not supported by Berlin administration due to their harsh policies.
Korkmaz stated that Germany’s reluctance to provide weapons to Ukraine is related to what might happen in the event of a possible war in the middle of Europe. Claiming that Germany’s aforementioned stance stems from the risk of closing the borders and the concerns that the economy might be adversely affected in the face of a large influx of refugees, Korkmaz said, “Germany argues that the economic aid it provides to Ukraine is much more than the aid provided by other countries. The negative response to a request for weapons aid is a sign that Kiev is trying to discourage it from going to war.” he said.
Saying that he fears that Germany’s Nord Stream 2 Project might be endangered in the event of a possible war in the region, Korkmaz said, “Germany is being criticized by the United Kingdom and the United States of America (USA) for not saying this openly. In fact, starting from the Donald Trump era, the fact that Germany signed a Nord Stream 2 Natural Gas Pipeline agreement with Russia in order to provide its energy source was a subject that was frequently criticized by the USA. The same issue continues under Joe Biden.” said. In addition, Korkmaz stated that Germany acts in line with its economic interests and added that it avoids escalating tensions in the region compared to the USA and England.
Prof. Dr. Birgül Demirtaş: Germany is determined to continue its policy focused on “civil power”.
Expressing that Germany’s balance-oriented foreign policy was met with reaction from allied countries, Turkish-German University International Relations Department Lecturer Prof. Dr. Birgül Demirtaş stated that some of her NATO allies expect Germany to take a tough stance against Russia.
Demirtaş, who stated that Berlin continued its foreign policy focused on “civil power” against all these expectations, stated that the Berlin Government wanted to solve the problem in the region through diplomatic means. In addition, Demirtaş said, “Germany, II. After World War II, it used military force exceptionally in only two cases and began to evolve into ‘realist civilian power’. The first is the NATO intervention during the Kosovo War in 1999, and the second is the military operations carried out during the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. Made its assessment.
Demirtaş stated that due to Germany’s Nazi and military power-oriented foreign policy history, it focuses more on soft power compared to its allies such as the USA, France and England. Explaining the main reasons for Berlin’s refusal to send weapons to Ukraine, on two economic and political grounds, Demirtaş said that Berlin’s policy is to consider its economic interests because it supplies its energy needs from Russia, and the concern that armed conflict may create a domino effect in global politics.
Dr. Intigam Mammadov: Germany is a more independent actor than other European countries.
Stating that Germany has a special position in the Ukraine Crisis, Dr. Intigam Memedov said that Germany is in solidarity with Western states regarding the crisis. Emphasizing that Germany is one of the few European countries that do not want the conflict with Russia to escalate, Memedov highlighted that the current political system in Berlin is not homogeneous and said, “The German Foreign Ministry and the bureaucracy have different views on some issues. For this reason, while trying to protect the development of economic cooperation with Russia; On the other hand, we are witnessing the implementation of contradictory policies that limit the broadcasts of the Russian media.” used the expressions.
Pointing out that European neighbors, especially Poland, put pressure on Germany not to initiate the Nord Stream 2 Project, Memedov stated that Germany had to prove its commitment to the common stance to the USA and European countries. Memedov said, “Germany is a more independent actor than other European countries. It is thought that the development of anti-Russian or anti-Russian relations will not be a strategy for Germany.” Made his comment.
Retired Ambassador Murat Bilhan: Ukraine has a strategic importance for Germany.
Pointing out that Germany’s stance on the tension between Russia and Ukraine should be evaluated together with the EU, Retired Ambassador Murat Bilhan stated that Eastern Europe has a special place in Germany’s strategies. Bilhan said, “Although Poland is the sensitive point here, Russia is the focus of ‘Ostpolitik’. Germany’s security concerns always focus on these points. The concept of diffusion has also been in this direction. Ukraine has always been seen as a buffer for Germany, both during its dependence on Russia and during its independence period. used the expressions.
Emphasizing the importance of Kiev for Berlin, Bilhan said, “The current importance of Ukraine for Germany is that it is on energy routes. Germany also needs to consider its responsibilities in NATO solidarity. So Ukraine is important for Berlin in many ways.” said.
Prof. Dr. Mesut Hakkı Caşın: The outbreak of war in Ukraine would be a great blow to the German economy.
Claiming that Germany’s attitude is due to its need for Russian energy resources, Prof. Dr. Mesut Hakkı Caşın said that the Berlin Government wanted to revive the Normandy Format. “According to some of its Western partners, Germany has an untrustworthy approach to NATO. In fact, it is useful to read the expansion here as a new period after the unification of Berlin in the context of NATO and European security.” Used the expressions.
Stating that the path of diplomacy is still open in the Ukraine-Russia Crisis, Caşın stated that Russia demanded security guarantees from the West and that Germany would play an important role in this regard.
Drawing attention to three scenarios in the current process, Caşın suggested that granting autonomy to Donbas, excluding the status of Crimea and providing economic and commercial support to the Vladimir Zelenski administration would carry the EU and Germany to a leadership position. Caşın added that the continuation of the tension will put NATO and Germany in a difficult situation and that if Ukraine is invaded, there will be a major crisis in Europe. Caşın said, “Germany and Turkey will suffer the most from this crisis. In my opinion, 10 million immigrants will come to Germany and 5 million will come to Turkey. Germany’s gas and oil will be cut off. This will inflict a huge blow to Germany’s economy.” used the expressions.
Journalist Hüseyin Gökçe: Germany’s balanced attitude is a strategic choice as it is dependent on Russia in energy.
Journalist Hüseyin Gökçe, who said that Germany followed a more balanced policy compared to other European countries, drew attention to the foreign policy reflection of the recent change of duties in the Berlin administration.
Gökçe said, “The foreign dependency of Germany, which is the most energy consuming country in the region with its strong industry, is a fact. With these characteristics of the country, it seems understandable that it prefers a strategy not to want to be a party to the tension between the two countries, which are the important energy sources of the region. made its assessment.
