The Russian/Ukraine conflict has been going on for four months without end and for the most part this has been going on for years.

Increased tensions come as the Russian government has sent thousands of troops to the Ukrainian border to perform training exercises and to prepare for invasion. Joe Biden has sent troops to countries in Eastern Europe. NATO has come together to deal with this conflict that has put all of Europe on high alert. Ukraine is not a member of NATO and Russia has threatened to show more aggression or war if Ukraine does join the organization. 

So, what does Germany have to do with any of this? Germany has the largest economy in the world. They are also a top military voice in NATO. The German government knows its history and a reason for not supplying Ukraine with weapons is to stay out of yet another world conflict where they lost so much. This is just one of the reasons for Germany’s neutrality. Berlin has refused to sell weapons to Ukraine and has pushed to open a new pipeline for Russian gas that would circumvent Ukraine and deprive it of sorely needed transit fees. Germany is one of two countries (along with France) that have been co-sponsoring the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2014.

The world revolves around one thing and one thing only: money. Oil from Russia is what supplies a lot of Germany. The Nord Stream Pipeline supplies Europe with gas. One of the biggest consumers is Germany. The Germans fear conflict will cause them to lose oil connections from the pipeline. More than half of Germany’s national gas is bought from Russia. 

Germany’s new chancellor Olaf Scholz is left leaning and would consider creating some sort of ties with Russia. Former chancellor Angela Merkel was firm on how to treat any Russian aggression. Germany and Russia have slowly been coming closer together and with this new chancellor Olaf Scholz they could become very close. 

Ukraine believes that Germany should give them weapons and supplies. They believe that they are a passage into Europe and must be defended at all costs. Ukraine has been fighting Russian backed separatists since 2014 in order to keep the country united. Germany is a member of NATO, the biggest of the European members economically, they have high military power as well and are looked at as a good example for how a nation should respond.

The lack of response is worrisome to all of Europe.