As Russia's invasion loomed, he was ridiculed for offering 5,000 helmets instead of heavy weapons.
Early German doubts and prevarications delayed delivery of missiles and Leopard tanks. It got so bad that, in April last year, Germany's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was bluntly told he was not welcome in Kyiv.
What a difference a war makes! As the conflict approaches the two-year mark, Scholz, remarkably, is now leading the western effort to keep Ukraine afloat.
Continued US military aid is in doubt. President Joe Biden's proposed new $61.4bn package has been blocked by Republicans in Congress. EU funds worth €50bn ($54bn) are held up by Hungary's Kremlin-friendly leader, Viktor Orbán.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson boastfully claimed to be President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's best friend. Yet Rishi Sunak, his latest successor, has so far failed to renew annual assistance of £2.3bn ($2.9bn) in the year ahead. Visiting Kyiv last month, David Cameron, one of Sunak's predecessors, vowed to provide "all the military support that you need". But Cameron had no new hardware or cash to offer, and the government's autumn budget statement avoided the subject.
"UK leadership on Ukraine is flagging," said Labour's shadow defence secretary, John Healey. "UK military funding runs out in March, while this month Germany announced military aid for next year of €8bn." Unlike Cameron, Scholz's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, made a downpayment in Kyiv last month.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 08, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 08, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.
'It's not drought - it's looting'
Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.
Life in the grey Zone
Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals
