Scholz "irritated": US journalist questions Chancellor about the Ukraine war - and experiences a harsh reaction
Created: 09/27/2022, 14:51
By: Stephanie Munk
Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces challenges in view of the Ukraine war.
© Imago
In an interview with an American journalist on the Ukraine war, Chancellor Scholz appeared tense and reacted angrily to some questions.
New York – The Ukraine war has given Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) the reputation of a procrastinator.
Major point of criticism - also from his own coalition: Why isn't Germany supplying Ukraine with more and more powerful weapons?
Ukraine, too, has repeatedly complained about a lack of support.
Most recently, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitri Kuleba did this via Twitter.
He criticized "disappointing signals from Germany" while his country urgently needs Leopard and Marder tanks.
There is "not a single reasonable argument" why these weapons could not be delivered - "only abstract fears and excuses".
What is Berlin afraid of in contrast to Kyiv, Kuleba asked publicly.
Ukraine-News: New York Times interviews Scholz - Chancellor apparently reacted roughly
US journalist Katrin Bennhold Scholz confronted Scholz with this Kuleba tweet in an interview for the
New York Times
.
The Chancellor's reaction was probably somewhat "irritated", as Bennhold writes in her article.
His evasive answer: “Leadership doesn't mean doing what others ask of you.
Leadership means making the right decisions and being very strong.
And that's what I do.”
In general, the interview with Scholz was quite tense, reports the journalist.
"For a chancellor whose robotic nature has long earned him the nickname "Scholz-o-mat", there were moments when Mr. Scholz was surprisingly emotional," she writes - especially when it comes to challenging questions.
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Scholz gives an interview on the Ukraine war: He probably reacted particularly upset to one question
A few times he snapped at the journalist because of her questions.
For example, when she wanted to know why Germany was not spending two percent of its gross domestic product on military purposes in the coming years, as promised.
"Asking this question is not serious, if I'm honest," Scholz is said to have replied annoyed.
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One thing is clear: Scholz is under enormous pressure.
A balance needs to be found between the will to support Ukraine and the risk of a direct military confrontation with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently escalating the war.
He wants to annex Ukrainian areas with bogus referendums in violation of international law and mobilizes 300,000 Russian reservists for the front.
At the same time, Russia keeps sending nuclear threats to the world - indirectly, like Putin did in a TV speech last week, or directly, like his confidante Dimitri Medvedev now on Telegram.
(smu)
