The stance of Germany has given Putin the "green light" to invade Ukraine.

Just as I commented in my post of (9/1/2022) that,

 

"Again do I wish to draw the attention of my readers to the Treaty of Rapallo signed between Germany and Russia in 1922 At that  time, "Germany and Russia were rapidly moving closer together because each could use what the other had to offer. Russia needed Germany's skilled, now idle industrial workers, its engineers, and  general knowledge of advanced industrial methods. For Germany, Russia provided an outlet for its energies, a market for its products, and a source of raw materials" (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)",

 

we now have the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock (right), 

 

" ..[insisting that] her country would stick to its ban on German weapons exports on a visit to Kiev this week.  “Our stance is not only well known, but historically well founded,” Ms Baerbock said.

But she has not commented on whether the new German government plans to continue Mrs Merkel’s policy of obstructing its allies from arming Ukraine." (Dominic Nicholls, Danielle Sheridan, Nataliya Vasilyeva, Justin Huggler : Daily Telegraph : 18 January 2022) (my emphasis)

It is for this reason that UK supplies of Defence Military aid to Ukraine DID NOT FLY OVER GERMAN AIRSPACE!

"Speculation grew on Tuesday that British C-17 aircrafts  carrying weapons to Ukraine had taken detours in order to  avoid flying over German airspace.

 

The military flights to Ukraine over the weekend, tracked by commercial radar, showed the C-17s bypassing German  airspace, opting instead for a longer route over Denmark and Poland.

The route, which saw the aircraft fly over Denmark and Poland rather than take a more direct path, has led to speculation that Germany may have reservations about the military support to Ukraine." (ibid Dominic Nicholls, Danielle Sheridan, Nataliya Vasilyeva, Justin Huggler )

As also reported by Sahil Kapur, Veronika Melkozerova and Reuters,

"A bipartisan group of U.S. senators travelled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials on a trip to show solidarity amid fears of Russian aggression.

"We believe that this is a crucial time for us to come," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters between meetings. "To Russia: We stand with the Ukrainian people and with this government. In fact, Congress recently passed an increase to $300 million in security funding to Ukraine in the National Defense Authorization Act." (NBC News : 17 January 2022) (my emphasis)

 

We should also be reminded that,

"While Germany has publicly pledged its support for Ukraine against any Russian aggression, it has ruled out allowing its own defence sector to export weapons to Kiev over fears it could “inflame” the situation.

Angela Merkel’s government twice intervened to veto the delivery of weapons Ukraine had already paid for, including a US shipment of rifles and anti-drone systems from Lithuania." (ibid Dominic Nicholls, Danielle Sheridan, Nataliya Vasilyeva, Justin Huggler )

Even more significantly,

"The German government has briefed that threats to exclude Russia from the Swift system are to be dropped over fears it could destabilise international markets, according to Handelsblatt newspaper.
 

But the US pushed back against the claim, insisting “no option is off the table” in the event of Russian aggression." (Justin Huggler : The Daily Telegraph : 18 January 2022) (my emphasis)

ABC News : 19 January 2022

True to form,

"On Tuesday (18 January 2022), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, of the Greens, a junior coalition partner, will be in Moscow to meet her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for talks that she hopes will lead to a de-escalation of tensions at the Ukrainian border, where Russia has amassed some 100,000 troops.
.....
Baerbock’s appearance in the Russian capital risks sending a message that Berlin cares more about its bilateral relations, including economic ties, than it does about the Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine. (Pic left: German Economic Jackboots walking over Ukraine to Putin's Russia)

"During the talks between the ministers, it is planned to discuss the state and prospects of Russian-German relations, the formation of a schedule of political contacts, the practical aspects of building cooperation in the trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and historical-memorial spheres,” the ministry stated." (Hans von der Burchard and David M. Herszenhorn : Politico : 17 January 2020) (my emphasis)

 www.dw.com : 18 January 2022

It is this stance of Germany that has given Putin the "green light" to invade Ukraine.

 (to be continued)

 

STOP PRESS

 

This morning (19 January 2022) Matthew Lee (left) reports that,

"As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Ukraine, the Biden administration said Wednesday it’s providing an additional $200 million in defensive military aid to the country amid soaring fears of a Russian invasion.
.....
“We are committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs,” the official said. The official did not detail the contents of the aid package.
.....
The announcement came as Blinken opened a hastily arranged visit to Kyiv as he and other administration officials step up warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House said Tuesday that Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine." (ABC News : 19 January 2022) (my emphasis)

STOP