Scholz under fire: Kyiv visit sparks election backlash
Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv during the election campaign. In Germany, leading newspaper commentators suggested it is a "cynical game at Ukraine's expense."
According to German media commentators, the visit to Ukraine was intended to strengthen Scholz's position in the election campaign. Commentators believe Scholz wanted to pre-empt opposition leader Friedrich Merz in Kyiv.
At the same time, "Die Welt" commentator Sascha Lehnartz criticizes Scholz for not delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which undermines his declarations of support. Lehnartz notes that Germany is not Ukraine's biggest ally, as in relation to GDP, the Baltic countries and Poland do more.
Nicolas Richter from "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" also highlights that Scholz's visit to Kyiv is part of the election battle. Richter assesses that the rivalry between the current chancellor and the opposition leader "takes on caricature-like forms."
Scholz's bad press. Chancellor criticized after Kyiv visit
Meanwhile, Jasper von Altenbockum from "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" compares Scholz's policy to the actions of Donald Trump and Viktor Orban. He points out that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Germany along with Hungary and the USA regarding their stance on Ukraine's admission to NATO.
"Handelsblatt" notes that Scholz brought an aid package worth approximately 930 million Canadian dollars to Kyiv but did not meet Zelensky's expectations concerning NATO guarantees and the delivery of Taurus missiles.
Commentators consistently emphasize that Ukraine has become the center of the German election campaign.
Source: PAP
