Promotional tour of the ‘Victory Plan’ in Berlin: what did ‘Chancellor of Peace’ Scholz promise Ukraine (review of German media)
Despite the postponement of the major Ukraine Solidarity Summit in Ramstein, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Germany yesterday. This was Zelenskyy’s second visit to Berlin in the last few weeks, and his fourth meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The German media unanimously called the Ukrainian president’s European tour a promotional tour of the Victory Plan. In our further review, we will show how German analytical publications and news resources reacted to Scholz’s meeting with Zelenskyy.
‘No hugs, like the day before in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron,’ Tagesschau notes. A handshake and a smile from Scholz, who maintains a rather tense relationship with Zelenskyy despite the apparent friendliness of greetings like ‘any Vladimir’ and ‘any Olaf’.
The publication recalls that during his first visit to Berlin a year ago, Zelensky tried to use humour. He stressed that Germany is now the second biggest supporter after the United States. ‘We will work to bring Germany to the first place in terms of support,’ he said, which brought a smile.
All joking aside, what should Ukraine do if it loses serious US support after the election, Tagesschau wonders.
A planned meeting with US President Joe Biden this week had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Milton ravaging the United States, as well as a meeting with supporters at the US Ramstein base. In this regard, it was time for Zelenskyy to personally appeal to European countries for military support.
No change in Scholz’s position
Chancellor Scholz has not changed his position. For several days, Zelenskyy has been touring Europe, calling on Western allies to allow the use of long-range weapons to strike targets on Russian territory. Unlike the US, UK or France, Germany has not yet supplied such weapons. Regarding the 500-kilometre-range Taurus cruise missiles, Scholz has made it clear that he is not going to transfer them, as he fears that this could draw Germany and NATO into a war. He wants to remain a ‘chancellor of peace’, to defend Germany and not to make hasty decisions – he constantly emphasises this. And there are no changes in his position.
Ukraine’s problems will not be overshadowed by the war in the Middle East
Despite everything, Scholz does not meet his friend Zelensky empty-handed. The chancellor promises €170 million for urgent repairs to the most serious damage. In addition, by the end of the year, Germany will provide additional military aid worth €1.4 billion, including air defence systems, combat drones, and ammunition. This package is to be delivered by the end of the year in cooperation with Belgium, Norway and Denmark.
Back in mid-September, it became known that, despite the limited budget, the German government plans to allocate an additional €1.4 billion for projects for Ukraine. To this end, an application for €400 million in extra spending has already been submitted to the budget committee, with a possible reallocation in the military budget. Although the budget for next year has not yet been approved by parliament, the chancellor has also promised Zelenskyy an additional four billion euros in aid for 2025.
With this, Scholz wants to send a clear message: support and solidarity with Ukraine will continue next year, even if attention is focused on the conflict in the Middle East.
Coercion to peace?
Zelenskyy wants to force Russia to enter peace talks and end the war by military means – this is all that German journalists know about Zelenskyy’s plan. Zelenskyy is now talking to every European ally in private talks, calling for even more military support. The need is great, time is running out, a harsh winter is just around the corner, and his exhaustion is evident to everyone who talks to him. German media also wrote about this. ‘We will be able to force peace,’ Zelenskyy says in his office. The goal should be to achieve a just peace, he emphasises. But the question of how quickly this just peace can come, and above all, how much Chancellor Scholz will do, remains open today.
‘A war of attrition will not work’
Die Zeit emphasises that the support from Germany and its European partners sends a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: ‘The war of attrition will not work.’ Germany will not accept the ‘peace on the terms of diktat’ imposed by Russia. The newspaper reports that Scholz and Zelenskyy agreed that another peace conference would be held, in which Russia should also participate.
Zelensky thanked Scholz for his support. According to him, Germany has provided Ukraine with more air defence systems than any other country. These systems have helped save thousands of lives. At the same time, Zelenskyy asked that the support be maintained at the same level.
The international news outlet Deutsche Welle specified what would be included in the new aid package: additional Iris-T and Skynex air defence systems, Gepard anti-aircraft guns, tanks and self-propelled howitzers, battle tanks, protected vehicles, combat drones, radar systems, and artillery ammunition.
Moscow’s irritation after Zelenskyy’s visit to Germany
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung focuses on Russia’s reaction to Zelenskyy’s tour of Europe, calling it spiteful and quoting Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, who urged Scholz to ‘take better care of the problems of German voters’.
The German newspaper Tagesspiegel also reports that Chancellor Scholz and Zelenskyy have agreed that there will be another peace conference, in which Russia should also take part. It quotes Olaf Scholz as saying: “It is clear that peace can only be achieved on the basis of international law. This will still require enormous efforts’. ‘We will not agree to any peace dictated by Russia,’ Scholz stressed.
Diplomacy is already working behind the scenes
Talks are currently underway behind the scenes about the possibility of a second peace summit. The aim is to create confidence-building measures, including on the safety of nuclear power plants. However, it is unlikely that the summit will take place in Germany, as a country acceptable to Russia is needed. The most likely venue for the talks could be Saudi Arabia.
The fact that Zelenskyy and Scholz are talking about peace so actively may indicate progress in diplomatic efforts to hold new talks. ZDF correspondent Andreas Kinast notes that the rhetoric is changing, and the topic of a just peace is appearing more and more often in their statements.
Frankfurter Rundschau writes about Zelenskyy’s visit and his ‘Victory Plan’ with cautious optimism: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has completed a three-day European tour, during which he primarily presented his ‘victory plan’. Despite few concrete results, there is optimism that the war with Russia can be ended. He notes that before leaving Germany, Zelensky posted a video message. According to him, he presented his ‘victory plan’ in Germany, the UK, France and Italy. ‘All the details of our strategy for bringing peace – geopolitical, military, economic,’ Zelenskyy said.
So, diplomatic talks on a new peace summit are already underway behind the scenes. Although the specific details are still being discussed, the possibility of progress in diplomacy is becoming more and more real, and the theme of a ‘just peace’ is increasingly heard in the statements of leaders.
In general, a review of the German press shows some optimism about support for Ukraine and progress towards a just end to the conflict, although Scholz continues to tread carefully, balancing aid with efforts to maintain his status as ‘chancellor of peace’.
