Wednesday, June 1, the Germans discovered a facet of their new chancellor that they did not know. Challenged by Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrat opposition, Olaf Scholz has abandoned his natural restraint and his often soporific speeches to defend his policies, with a verve that only members of his party claim to know from him.
an offensive tone
Accused for weeks of deliberately slowing down arms deliveries from his country to Ukraine, so as not to alienate Moscow, the Chancellor has counter-attacked. He listed the weapons already sent to kyiv and announced the upcoming delivery of a radar system capable of detecting enemy artillery and the Iris-T air defense system, “the most modern available in Germany”capable of “protect an entire large city from Russian airstrikes”.
To those who criticize Germany, the most populous country in Europe, for doing less than the NATO allies, the Chancellor claims to act “in agreement” with these and send similar material. As for accusations of a German double game in energy matters – the Druzhba pipeline, which links eastern Germany to Russia, is not affected by the oil embargo decided on May 30 by the EU – , Olaf Scholz recalls his objective, namely to no longer buy Russian oil this fall.
Notably, these announcements were welcomed by the very critical Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin Andrej Melnyk. These clarifications and the offensive tone of the Chancellor also contrast with weeks of laborious communication. Admittedly, the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz had announced a “change of time” on the part of his country, in terms of energy and defense policy, with the end of energy dependence on Russia, the authorization to send arms to Ukraine and the upgrading of the federal army. But since then, he was accused of lacking firmness and clarity. Although supported on these points by a majority of Germans, the Chancellor saw his popularity rating drop and his party lose two regional elections in May.
Lasting change or flash in the pan?
Does Olaf Scholz’s counter-attack mark a lasting change in his communication or will it be a mere flash in the pan? The question divides across the Rhine. “It is legitimate for Europe’s largest country to show restraint on defense and for the Chancellor to weigh up the different aspects of military support for Ukraine, notes Tilman Mayer, from the University of Bonn. However, I think that his deep nature, that is to say his restraint and his lack of charisma, prevents a radical change in his communication strategy. »
His colleague Uwe Jun from the University of Bremen, on the other hand, is less critical. “Olaf Scholz has never been a great communicator, but he is learning and has been more present for some time. On the issue of arms deliveries, he must take into account his formation, the Social Democratic Party, within which some are quite close to Russia. He learned that it is better to cooperate with his party to advance. Moreover, the German administration is cumbersome and slows down the process of sending arms to Ukraine. Not to mention that Scholz knows the poor state of the Bundeswehr. He only promises what he can deliver. »
It is in this delicate context that, on June 8, the person concerned will celebrate his first six months spent in the chancellery.