Two days after saying Russian aggression could lead to centuries of war, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly announced Tuesday that his country would provide an additional 500 million euros' worth of arms to Ukraine for what he described "as a contribution to the modernization of Ukraine's armed forces."
A source present in Toronto during an online conference about Ukraine told Reuters that Germany plans to supply Ukraine with three additional "Iris-T" air defense systems, a dozen armored recovery vehicles, 20 rocket launchers, precision ammunition and anti-drone systems. The timetable for the arms delivery, which translates to about $499 million USD, is speculated for 2023 but could be sooner. It first requires approval from Germany's parliamentary budget committee.
Scholz shifted German defense and security spending priorities mere days after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, announcing Germany's commitment of 100 billion euros towards its own armed forces. The move made headlines due to Germany's previous reluctance to increase its defense spending, which was 47 billion euros in 2021, to a minimum of 2 percent GDP—attributed to the nation's 20th century military past.
The chancellor had called it obvious "to invest significantly more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy," according to the Associated Press.
But in the months since the announcement, Scholz has become somewhat of a pariah in his country. According to reports from AFP and Reuters, the Social Democrat's approval rating is tanking to new lows following his becoming chancellor in December 2021, after 16 years of Angela Merkel's leadership.
A survey conducted by the INSA polling institute and published Sunday in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed that 62 percent of respondents have an unfavorable view of Scholz—a decrease in favorability of 23 points since the same question was asked of German citizens in May.
Germans also have lost confidence in Scholz, formerly deputy chancellor under Merkel, with the percent of respondents who think he is doing a good job dropping from 46 percent in March to 25 percent in August. If an election were held tomorrow and based on favorability, Scholz wouldn't crack the top two nationally.
Russians have also taken verbal shots at him, with one Russian military pundit in May calling Scholz a "little Führer who has serious problems with an inferiority complex and that is a reflection on Germany itself," adding that the country hasn't gotten over its World War II defeat.
On Tuesday, Scholz appeared with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others at the Crimea Platform, which Scholz tweeted "demonstrates that Ukraine's partners are more united than ever. We condemn Russia's attempts to forcefully integrate parts of Ukrainian territory. Any sham referenda or attempts to alter the status of parts of Ukrainian territory will never be recognized."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
