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.
Bu hikaye The Guardian Weekly dergisinin December 08, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian Weekly dergisinin December 08, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
DNA sheds new light on victim of doomed Arctic trip
For more than a century, the bones of sailors who joined polar explorer Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Northwest Passage expedition lay scattered on the rocky shores of an Arctic island.
Singer's case highlights rising crisis in online gambling
In less than 24 hours, Gusttavo Lima, one of the most famous Brazilian country singers, sang at a rodeo in rural São Paulo state, watched Akon perform at the Rock in Rio festival, jetted to Miami - and became the target of an arrest warrant on suspicion of money laundering.
Repeated risk Targeting of Hezbollah leaders has yet to deal group a fatal blow
In 1992, Israeli media celebrated an assassination.
Be a batch maker: cook-ahead ideas for effortless meals and treats
Cook-once, eat-all-week recipes are a godsend, just so long as they're versatile. \"I would roast a load of tomatoes to make sauce,\" says Jess Elliott Dennison, author of Midweek Recipes. \"You get that fresh flavour.\"
Where reality meets Nintendo
Anew museum in Kyoto takes fans of the Japanese gaming giant’ products on anenchanting trip down virtualmemory lane if only youcan get a ticket...
Silk Roads spin a tale of collective treasures
Amesmerising show at the British Museum follows China’ epic ancient trade routes through fabulous oases, desert palaces and burial mounds
'More people say they've seen an alien than a trans person'
Harper Steele came out as a trans woman in 2022 at the age of 61. Her friend Will Ferrell had questions. So why not take a road trip and make a documentary about it?
Trump v Harris has opened up a gulf between the sexes
I hesitate to give JD Vance any ideas, but if American women were denied the vote, Donald Trump would be restored to the White House in a landslide.
Seeing double
What does it feel like to discover, in adulthood, that you are a twin? Here, five sets of brothers and sisters tell their stories of meeting for the first time and what happened next
The shapeshifter
Giorgia Meloni been called a neo-fascist and a danger to Italy. But she worked hard to achieve a degree of respectability and has won over many heads of Europe, including the new UK prime minister. Should we be worried?
