Scholz before Ukraine trip: no second chance for the first impression

opinion

Miracles still happen. At least you can believe it now. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Thursday. This has not yet been officially confirmed, but all signs point to departure.

The passionately sober Hanseatic will probably not have to endure the bright limelight alone – his counterparts from Rome and Paris are to serve with him. The chancellor should apply lotion anyway. Because the pressure that weighs on him has been built up by Olaf the Hesitant in recent months. The chancellor, whose poll numbers continue to plummet, has little to gain and a lot to lose in Kyiv.

Scholz the hesitant: A photo session is better than no date

There shouldn’t be a “brief in and out”, a simple photo session, as the chancellor, otherwise a friend of unclear words, was unusually clear. But it also shows that Scholz obviously underestimates the power of images. No matter how meaningless a joint statement might have been, no matter how disappointed Zelenskyy would have admitted afterwards: if the chancellor appeared early in Kyiv, it would have demonstrated unity, solidarity and humanity. A lip service on site, no matter how tight-lipped it seems, would have been better than the almost affected rumgedruckse that Scholz decided on instead.

Ukraine has been defending itself for more than 100 days against a brutal, illegal attack by a power-hungry autocrat with tsarist attitudes. Thousands of people have already lost their lives and millions have been displaced. The fact that numerous foreign counterparts and, last but not least, German politicians showed up in front of the Chancellor in Kyiv is simply embarrassing for a German head of government and reinforces the international impression of Germany’s hesitancy. There is no second chance to make a first impression – and Scholz messed that up.

In doing so, Scholz’ claim to arrive with “very concrete things” in the luggage is, in principle, commendable (Read here what the chancellor could expect in Kyiv). But the 64-year-old applies his very own standards to the word “concrete”, as the last few months have shown. Instead of butter for the fish, Scholz has so far served (hot) Berlin air. The fact that he has so far avoided formulating a victory for Ukraine as a clear goal gives a deep insight.

Selenskyj expects “personal support” from Scholz

Scholz will not be able to shine in Kyiv. So far, the Federal Republic has not managed – under ever new excuses – to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine. A cold withdrawal of Russian oil and gas, which finances Putin’s war machine, is not in sight either in the short or medium term. Only Macron is in a worse position: France has even increased its imports of cheap Russian gas since the beginning of the war.

But Selenskyj does not give up hope in his German counterparts. Well, he has no other choice. He expects from Scholz that “he personally supports us and that he is personally confident” that Ukraine will be officially named a candidate for EU membership later this month, according to the Ukrainian President. Now this demand is so concrete, maybe Scholz would rather leave it at the photo session.