German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Has Been Accused Of Being Soft On Russia

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg and German Chancellor Scholz attend a news conference, in Berlin  

Daily Mail: German Chancellor appeases Putin and obstructs Western efforts to defend Ukraine as he refuses to send weapons to Kiev's forces and takes soft stance towards Russia 

* Olaf Scholz accused of taking a soft line on Russia despite threat to Ukraine 

* He has refused to export arms to Kiev, demurred on sanctioning Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and government today briefed against US over banking sanctions 

* Even his own defence minister has broken with government line on Moscow 

* Academics and foreign policy experts have warned he is 'weakening' the West, and an urgent re-think is needed 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been accused of weakening Europe by refusing to take a hard line on Russia despite warnings that Putin is about to invade Ukraine. 

Scholz, who took the job from Angela Merkel last month, has tried to maintain his predecessor's warm relations with Moscow by refusing to supply Kiev with arms and ruling out sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas line if an attack goes ahead. 

But the SDP leader - a socialist while he was a student - now stands accused of aiding Putin and undermining the West by creating rifts within the EU, NATO, and even his own fledgling coalition over the best way to deter the Russian strongman. 

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Update: U.S. Hits an Old Germany Problem as It Tries to Squeeze Russia (Bloomberg)  

WNU Editor: The new German Chancellor is trying to signal some toughness .... Germany could halt pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, Scholz signals (Reuters). But Germany's allies are seeing appeasement .... British C-17 Transport Aircraft Ferrying Weapons To Ukraine Are Avoiding Germany.