Historian: Support for Ukraine is a matter of security for Germany, not charity
Support for Ukraine remains the position of the majority in Germany, but in society and within part of the governing coalition it is still not sufficiently understood that this is not about charity, but about protecting one's own security and the European order.
Franziska Davies, Associate Professor at the Department of Eastern and Central Eastern European History at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
"Part of society today understands this responsibility more clearly, and support for Ukraine remains the position of the majority. But I am not sure whether it is sufficiently understood that this is not about generosity or simply helping, but about the security of Europe and, therefore, of Germany itself," she said.
Davies stressed that it is in Ukraine that the European security order is currently being defended, based on the principle that no state has the right to change another state's borders by force. "If this order is not protected, the whole of Europe will become less secure," the historian said.
According to her, significant changes in Germany's attitude toward supplying weapons to Ukraine have taken place since February 2022. "Before February 2022, there was a consensus across all parties against supplying weapons. Even a party such as the Greens, which had long been very pro-Ukrainian, did not want to supply weapons. So a real shift did occur."
At the same time, Davies described Germany's current support for Ukraine as not sufficiently consistent.
"I believe that support is still not sufficiently consistent. In the SPD – especially under Chancellor Scholz – it was clearly visible how strongly old patterns of thinking were still at work. This is also reflected in current calls for negotiations with Russia on disarmament," the historian said.
In her opinion, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, is primarily focusing on domestic political issues, particularly migration, which she said is being "inflated in an irresponsible manner," and as a result support for Ukraine "risks moving to the background."
"As for the CDU, it is more difficult for me to identify the exact reasons. At the level of rhetoric, support is present, but some promises made after coming to power have not been fulfilled. I assume that domestic political issues, especially migration, are currently a priority for the CDU. And this topic is being inflated in an irresponsible way. Support for Ukraine, despite all its strategic importance for Germany and Europe, risks moving to the background," Davies said.
She added that at the same time, "populist and problematic narratives are being used in the hope of winning back voters from the Alternative for Germany party."
"However, polls show that this strategy does not work. At the same time, such a focus means that central challenges – supporting Ukraine and strengthening our own democracy – do not receive the necessary attention," the historian said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukraine and Germany signed a major defense package worth EUR 4 billion, including significant reinforcement of air defense, development of long-range capabilities, and the launch of joint drone production.
Photo from the archive of Franziska Davies