WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – With Russia’s threat to Ukraine escalating, the US and its NATO partners across Europe are ratcheting up their response.
However, one country in particular looks to be standing back: Germany.
While Russian forces have mobilized on the Ukrainian frontier, Berlin has rejected calls from its major allies and neighbors to provide armaments to Ukraine, urging “prudence” in the face of possible economic consequences.
According to NBC News, Europe’s largest economic power’s refusal to embrace the more forceful Western approach has enraged Kyiv and threatened to derail efforts to show a truly united together against Russian aggression.
President Joe Biden was chastised for implying that the trans-Atlantic coalition was split on the subject, but his hesitancy, as well as the resignation of Germany’s navy chief now over the weekend following pro-Kremlin remarks, have done little to mask the fact that Berlin is the weak link in the West’s stance.
According to Reuters, Germany said on Wednesday that it will provide Ukraine with 5,000 military helmets. However, this was in accordance with a particular request, and the nation’s resistance to military aid remains unchanged.
So, why is Germany so cautious to use its authority and clout during a crisis?
Germany imports almost a third of its energy resources from Russia, a reliance that will only grow with the start-up of Nord Stream 2, a multibillion-dollar project that would bring far more Russian gas to the nation via the Baltic Sea.
The project, labeled “Putin’s pipeline,” is strongly criticized by most of the West, mainly Baltic nations fearful of Russian aggressiveness. Though Germany has not counted out adding Nord Stream in a sanctions package, it has stated that it would do so only if Russia exploited energy as a threat.
Critics claim that energy dependence and fear of challenging Russia are related.
That attitude may not be viable with 100,000 Russian soldiers mobilized on its neighbor’s frontier and tensions rising by the day.