Germany’s business ties to Russia delayed aid to Ukraine, historian says
At the early stage of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, decisive support for Kyiv from Berlin was constrained by close political and business ties with Russia, fears of nuclear escalation, and the prevailing belief in an “invincible Russia,” as well as German politicians’ reluctance to critically reassess their own past policy toward Moscow.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Franziska Davies, Associate Professor at the Department of Eastern and Central Eastern European History at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
“Without a doubt, this is one of the factors. But I do not think it was the only one or necessarily the most important. We are talking about a culture of memory, and that is important. But we also know that there were close ties between politics and business – just think of Nord Stream 2. So, there were also structurally problematic relations with Russia,” Davies said when commenting on whether Germany’s special sense of responsibility toward Russia hindered decisive support for Ukraine at the start of the full-scale invasion.
She emphasized that many German politicians “found it difficult to admit how harmful their own policy toward Russia had been before 2022.”
“More decisive support for Ukraine would have required much deeper self-criticism. And there was no willingness for that,” she added.
The historian also pointed to a widespread notion in Germany of an “invincible Russia.”
“Moreover, many are still trapped in old perceptions. Among them is the notion of an ‘invincible Russia.’ As a historian, I can say this is clearly false. In history, we have examples of Russian defeats, and there are many of them,” Davies said.
She added that fear of nuclear escalation also played a significant role.
“A significant role was also played by the fear of nuclear escalation – a fear that Russia deliberately fueled and instrumentalized. Putin knows Germany very well and is aware of this deeply rooted ‘nuclear fear,’ which some even call a kind of hysteria,” she noted.
Davies concluded that Berlin’s hesitation at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine was the result of a combination of several factors.
“In general, it was a combination of a still problematic image of Russia, unwillingness to confront one’s own policy and its consequences – including in the context of memory culture – as well as the idea that some form of understanding with Russia could still be reached without decisive military support, as the situation required, in order not to become too strongly involved in the conflict or act too decisively,” she said.
As reported by Ukrinform, on April 14 in Berlin, Germany and Ukraine signed a Declaration on Strategic Partnership, which, among other things, confirms Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.
Photo from Franziska Davies’ archive