The position of Germany, or rather the position of the social democrats to a greater extent, which partially resonated with certain attitudes of approximately half of German society, was complex and simple at the same time.

Germany, and in particular the Social Democrats, and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz personally do not want to be leaders in matters of armed support to Ukraine.

In an interview with TSN.ua, the head of the "Regional security and conflict research" direction of the Ilko Kucheriv Foundation for Democratic Initiatives and Maria Zolkina, a researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, said this in an interview, answering the question why Germany blocked the supply of tanks to Ukraine for so long.

The expert believes that there are two components of this blockage - political and historical and cultural.

"That is, financially, sanctioned, by any means to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression - yes, but as far as weapons are concerned, Germany is ready to be one of the countries that support Ukraine by sending certain types of weapons, but definitely does not want to be at the forefront of this armed support. And the decision regarding tanks should have been a leadership decision," she explained.

Zolkina was convinced that both Scholz personally and the Social Democrats did not want to make a key decision, and the decision regarding tanks was a key one.

"It, together with the decision regarding the Patriot and the decision, which I believe and have reason to believe will be made, regarding the fighter jets symbolize the transition from one stage of the war to another. Previously, Ukraine was helped to defend itself and stop the further advance of Russian troops. And now Ukraine is moving to a new stage, when we have to conduct large-scale counteroffensive operations... But it is clear to the whole world that Ukraine is moving to counteroffensive actions and it must be armed for this. And Germany did not want, did not want to make such key decisions. It did not want to be in the vanguard. This political component," the researcher noted.

Maria Zolkina called the second component the historical and cultural component.

"And the second component is a component that seems illogical and inadequate to Ukrainians, but for Germany, for German society, this historical and cultural component is, indeed, somewhere at the subconscious level. And in the Bundestag, and on key German channels, and in key printed the argument that German tanks should not take part in direct clashes with the Russian army was heard everywhere in the media, referring to the experience and complex of guilt and even collective responsibility, by the way, what the Russians are trying to avoid, in Germany this collective responsibility is very much alive. absurd, because both Ukrainians and Belarusians suffered in World War II both quantitatively and practically more than the Russian people. But for Germany, it has already developed in the collective consciousness that they feel this responsibility and this guilt, first of all, before the Russians .And they don't want to help Ukraine start any other hostilities with the Russian Federation even in such an indirect way," she explained.

According to the researcher, both the first and second arguments were very strong for Germany.

"But under the pressure of circumstances, under pressure, first of all, from partners, the United States, the eastern flank of NATO, the Social Democrats and Scholz had to change their position," Maria Zolkina summarized.

We will remind, on January 25, Germany officially agreed to transfer 14 self-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

We are talking about a company - 14 tanks.

They will be transferred from the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Bundeswehr.

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