The German chancellor should be bold, but even then there will never be ‘total victory’: the best hope is a ceasefire and a deal
A German reluctance to fan the flames of war in Europe would, in the past, have been widely welcomed. So much for the past. The hesitation of the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to send his Leopard tanks to Ukraine for a spring battle in Donbas now looks alarmingly like a peace offering to Vladimir Putin.
A large western armoury has already been built up in Ukraine, but German tanks are of a type ideally suited for the coming struggle. Delay in sending them demoralises Kyiv and is a godsend to Putin’s depiction of Nato as divided and losing heart. While Germany may be frantic for Russian gas, this is not the moment to show weakness. Scholz must be pressed to release his tanks, and those he controls in Poland and Spain.
Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist
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