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Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ukraine after much hesitation. But did his visit bring anything? Rather not. “Nothing happened that will have an impact on the course of the war,” says military expert Masala.
According to the military expert Carlo Masala, the Chancellor’s visit to Kyiv did not bring the substantial results that Olaf Scholz actually mentioned as a condition for a trip to Ukraine. “It wasn’t much more than empty hands,” said Masala on Friday in the stern podcast “Ukraine – the situation”. At least not if nothing was agreed during the talks between the top European politicians and the Ukrainian leadership that the public has not yet known about.
Masala: Scholz visit could “mark the beginning of a changed relationship”
Of course, the prospect of EU membership is important for Ukraine, said the politics professor at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, “but that’s a miserably long process.” An important symbolic picture had been given. “But in terms of substance, nothing happened yesterday that will have an impact on the course of the war.” According to Masala, Germany’s future relations with Ukraine will depend crucially on whether the promised weapons actually arrive as planned. He said Scholz’s visit could mark the beginning of a changed relationship. However, if the problems with arms deliveries are not overcome, the effect of the visit will fizzle out within a few weeks.
It is crucial for Ukraine to get weapons quickly. “Summer is the critical period,” said Masala. “If there isn’t a massive influx of so-called heavy weapons over the summer, the tide could finally turn in favor of the Russian Federation.” This applies to the military conflict between the two states. “Then the Ukrainians could be forced to adopt a different strategy in the fall and winter; this strategy would be a kind of guerrilla and partisan warfare.” With regard to possible peace negotiations, he pointed out that the Europeans could be involved in some way. But it will be decisive “that the United States will sit directly or indirectly at the table”. Russian President Vladimir Putin is on an equal footing with the United States. “From a Russian perspective, the European Union is not a unified actor with enough power for Russia to accept as a serious opponent or negotiator.”
Source: Stern
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