Contemplating the atrocities dedicated by the Nazis in Ukraine throughout World Battle II, one would assume the Germans would have sympathy for the Ukrainians immediately.
On the very least Germany, in a remorseful tribute to the tens of millions of harmless Ukrainian civilians they slaughtered through the struggle, together with 1,000,000 Jews, would lend a serving to hand.
Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, informed the Wall Avenue Journal that the Nazis killed eight million individuals through the 1939 Nazi invasion and occupation of Ukraine.
However as a substitute of helping Ukraine, Germany, a NATO “ally,” is siding with Russia and Vladimir Putin in his ominous menace to invade Ukraine. The Germans are blocking fellow NATO nations from offering navy gear to the beleaguered Ukrainians.
It’s one factor to do nothing within the face of Russian aggression — it’s one other to dam different nations from doing one thing.
Whereas the dwelling reminiscence of the struggle could also be fading, it’s price remembering what came about in Ukraine.
In simply one among many massacres some 33,771 Jews — males, girls and youngsters — have been machine gunned to loss of life in a ravine known as Babi Yar outdoors of Kiev. Those that survived obtained a bullet within the head.
German officers defined that whereas it sells weapons to nations world wide, delivery weapons to Ukraine was out of the query due to Germany’s position in beginning World Battle II and the Nazi atrocities. It’s restricted from doing so.
Others would argue that, due to these atrocities, Germany has an ethical obligation to assist Ukraine, a technique or one other.
Germany, which has grown more and more depending on Russia for vitality, has blocked Estonia, a fellow NATO ally, from offering German exported artillery weapons to Ukraine by refusing to supply a change in regulation prohibiting such a switch.
Whereas it might look like no large deal–for the reason that U.S., Nice Britain and Poland are delivery in navy gear — it’s a crack in President Joe Biden’s try to unify NATO within the face of Russian aggression.
Some NATO companions are cautious of Biden after he didn’t notify any collaborating NATO members when he launched his humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan. They have been left in the dead of night and compelled to fend for themselves. Now he’s asking them for assist.
Germany is a particular case. The U.S. supplied untold billions of {dollars} in financial support after WWII, allowed Germany to recuperate from World Battle II, thrive and grow to be a democracy.
Due to the U.S., communism didn’t unfold past the Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany. However now it’s a moot level, as a result of Germany is changing into a Russian vassal state.
Germany, in its marketing campaign to go completely inexperienced, has shut down its nuclear energy amenities and is phasing out coal. It has grow to be depending on Russia for its vitality.
Germany presently will get greater than half of the pure gasoline from Russia. Quickly it is going to get extra when Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine, begins pumping extra pure gasoline into Germany.
Work on the completion of building of the brand new Russian pipeline, halted underneath former President Donald Trump, resumed when President Joe Biden inexperienced lighted the venture by eliminating Trump’s financial sanctions. It was a Biden present to Putin and to outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
That was performed after Biden shut down the U.S. XL Keystone pipeline and halted oil and gasoline discovery and manufacturing on federal lands. Now the U.S., as soon as vitality unbiased, is importing vitality oil from Russia, identical to Germany.
Putin’s imminent invasion or annexation of Ukraine is eerily much like when the western allies in 1938 bowed to Hitler, who was threatening invasion, and allowed him to annex elements of Czechoslovakia. A yr later he invaded Poland and started World Battle II.
It’s unhappy that we not have any political leaders with a dwelling reminiscence of World Battle II. That’s the reason we might repeat it — solely worse.
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.