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A solo instead of solidarity. In the middle of the Ukraine war, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is attempting a secondary foreign policy. That’s not particularly wise.
Friedrich Merz is traveling to Kyiv tonight. He will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy there. The images are already in your mind before Merz even gets on the train that takes him to Kyiv. He wants this to be understood as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. You can believe the CDU leader that he is serious.
But Merzen’s trip to the war also sends another signal: the opposition leader is focusing on the behavior of the chancellor, who has so far not considered such a solidarity trip to Ukraine necessary. Olaf Scholz is known to have difficulties with symbolic gestures. He also believes that there is no need to hide his light under a bushel when it comes to supporting Ukraine with arms. That, says Scholz, is what ultimately matters. Selenskyj essentially sees it that way, and as far as the Germans are concerned, even particularly so.
Friedrich Merz makes secondary foreign policy in Kyiv
There is a term for Merzen’s behavior. It reads: secondary foreign policy. In times of crisis or even war, this action is actually prohibited, especially if, as Merz has often claimed, one believes that in such a dangerous situation, government and opposition must act together. Merz has repeatedly signaled his willingness to do so in the Bundestag. Now he breaks out. The question is: cui bono? Who benefits?
In any case, it is of no use to Ukraine – nothing. The list of those who paid their respects to Zelenskyy is quite long. A certain routine of solidarity has already set in. And the list gets longer every day. Just over the weekend, Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the US House of Representatives, was there to deliver the “resounding message” to the rest of the world that the US is firmly on Ukraine’s side. Pelosi, however, came not only with powerful rhetoric, but also with a lavish promise of aid: Washington is currently working on implementing the additional support of 33 billion dollars for Ukraine requested by President Joe Biden from Congress. But what does Friedrich Merz have to offer?
The CDU leader has little to offer other than the promise to keep up the pressure on the traffic light government in the coming weeks. But that is very little, given the fact that Olaf Scholz and his security cabinet already made the decisive move in terms of the delivery of heavy weapons last week. Germany no longer blocks itself. So it won’t be easy for the opposition leader to add meaning to his visit to Kyiv.
Merz could straighten things out
Friedrich Merz must therefore put up with the question of whether he is not primarily on his own behalf when he rides to Kyiv. That doesn’t cast a good light on a man who should actually be careful not to confuse state-political responsibility with an addiction to profiling.
But now the ticket is solved. So that the trip is not completely in vain, Merz should use a few minutes of Selenskyj’s precious time to clear up the misunderstanding about the failed visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. If Merz could convince the Ukrainian president that the cancellation was a mistake, then his own trip would have been at least a little worthwhile.
Source: Stern
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