Germans suffer from hangovers. Commentator Fischer says they thought trade would keep Russia in check

“It doesn’t matter who rules there. Even the experience of the Soviet Union shows that whatever happened, it was always traded,” Fischer recalls.

“The Germans believed that trade would keep Russia in check or relations would be relatively normal. It turns out that this was the wrong path and that everyone in Germany is now pouring ashes on their heads. But it’s not the ashes, but the actions towards the current situation. The hesitant current chancellor plays a big role there.” The world and Ukraine see this as a failure, ”the journalist adds.

In general, there is a long-standing policy of ignoring Central and Eastern Europe.

Daniel Krupa

Kroupa recalls that in February, Chancellor Olaf Schulz ruled out Germany providing arms to Ukraine.

But trade with Russia was in full swing. In general, there is a long-standing policy of ignoring Central and Eastern Europe. Nor is the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline even after 2014 unjustified.”

“What worries me most is the terrible hypocrisy of these countries, which in their political statements speak of European values, democracy and human rights, but with regard to countries that violate these principles, they do not have any consequences. They are not even able to defend countries that strive hard To embrace European values ​​- like Ukraine after 2013,” Kroupa explains.

Germany is in a phase of mental turmoil, and adding and blaming her wouldn’t really help him.

Peter Fisher

Fischer agrees that Germany has not been able to take drastic measures for long. “So I say that there is an aggressor and a violator of international law, to stand by Ukraine at that time. But I do not agree that they cannot do that now.”

“Germany is currently having a headache, it is in a concussion stage. Some German politicians are really terrified, and many of them are making big detours, like the Green Party, which has a peaceful past. So Germany is in this shock, adding and blaming it will not really help him,” As the publicist and philosopher Fisher says.

Ignore Central and Eastern Europe

Kroupa sees great guilt on the part of former Chancellor Angela Merkel and the French president Françoise Dutch.

“They helped Russia cover up the aggression, they treated the events of 2014 as if they were a conflict between two opposing parties on an equal footing, and in the Minsk agreements they acted as having prevented the worst, putting Ukraine in a desperate situation,” Kroupa is convinced.

And he sees a problem in France, too. “The mentality of ignoring Central and Eastern Europe prevails there. They see in Ukraine an unimportant country that complicates good trade relations with Russia. It also meant that politics sweep the problem under the rug as quickly as possible so that you can continue to trade, which is a huge skepticism. But Ukrainian courage is changing the West’s view of us and the East, ”believes Daniel Krupa.

Ukrainian courage changes the way the West looks at us and the East.

Daniel Krupa

The journalist admits: “Yes, Russia was more important to France or Germany in geopolitical terms.”

“But there is a lot of debate in Germany at the moment, and everyone more or less admits this error. It has always been primarily about trade and economic interests, not even Germany. Now it has hit the wall, and if it does not change its position, it means a crisis or a change of union The whole European ”, predicts Peter Fischer.

Listen to the whole discussion, Karolina Kupova asks.