Scholz makes new Ukraine weapons pledge after series of PR disasters

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said his government will provide Ukraine with money to buy heavy weapons from leading German arms manufacturers – but will not supply them directly.

His announcement follows weeks of pressure from Ukraine, Nato partners and, increasingly, within his own coalition to do more to aid Kyiv.

“The goal is to equip the Ukrainian military in such a way so that it can defend itself against the Russian attack,” said Scholz. “We have asked the German defence industry to tell us what it can deliver in the near future. Ukraine has looked at the list and made a selection. We will make available the money necessary for the purchase.”

Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the chancellor attracted worldwide attention for a self-described “watershed” speech. In it he promised to boost German military spending beyond Nato obligations and to make taboo-breaking arms deliveries to Ukraine.

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Until now, however, Berlin’s practical military assistance to Ukraine has been a series of PR disasters, from rotten East German rockets to a delivery of helmets that was dismissed by Kyiv as a “joke”.

The war in Ukraine has put Scholz in a political bind. Leftists in his Social Democratic Party (SPD), though chastened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, insist Germany’s history obliges it show restraint on arms deliveries. They also fear Berlin will be accused by Moscow of being a party to the war.

But SPD centrists, Greens and liberal Free Democrats – who make up his three-way “traffic light” – coalition, have been increasingly scathing in their criticism of Scholz.

The FDP accused Scholz of adopting a “too little too late” strategy while a Green Party spokesman said Berlin was “still being too hesitant”.

“Germany is the largest economic power within the EU and we have to do more than to date,” said Anton Hofreiter, Green EU affairs spokesman. “We are dragging our feet on sanctions and on arms deliveries and risk the danger of the war dragging on even longer.”

After building pressure, the last days have seen a slow, discreet pivot in Berlin policy towards Ukraine from the Scholz administration.

Now the latest announcement from Scholz suggests that Ukraine is being escorted to the top of the queue with German arms companies, holding a blank cheque from Berlin.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Scholz insisted that there was a “regular, continuous flow of weapons, munition and equipment” from Berlin “in the direction of Ukraine, which will not stop”.

Neither the chancellor nor his spokesman would say what precise equipment German arms companies could deliver to Ukraine – and by when. To bridge the gap, however, Berlin is encouraging eastern European Nato members to provide Kyiv with their own Soviet-era tanks – familiar to Ukrainian soldiers – and, in return, receive newer vehicles as replacements.

Baltic tour

The debate over arms deliveries to Ukraine followed German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock on her two-day tour of the Baltic countries which ends on Thursday.

She insisted Germany had no problem with supplying more arms to Kyiv – and that there was no “taboo” on following other countries in supplying armoured vehicles.

But she said “depleted” Bundeswehr stocks, after years of underinvestment, meant the German armed forces have no stocks of practical use to pass on to Ukraine.

“Deliveries have already been approved, but it has not yet been determined what can be delivered quickly and without delay,” she said.

As the war nears the two-month mark, Germany’s leading diplomat said supporting Ukraine, though a race against time, was already turning into a marathon rather than a sprint.

“The allies must support Ukraine together, not against each other, but the question is what will we have in three weeks, three months or three years?” she asked. “Germany will be able to make a greater contribution.”

Baerbock said that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania could depend on Nato to defend “every centimetre” of alliance territory and that they could “rely on Germany, 100 per cent”.