Germany is a major wild card in the West's efforts to deter Russia in Ukraine

Olaf Scholz
(Image credit: Tobias Schwarz/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

The U.S. and its European allies are readying troops and sending armaments to Ukraine or NATO's eastern flank to deter, or respond to, Russia's possible invasion of Ukraine. At least most of them are. "In recent days Germany — Europe's largest and richest democracy, strategically situated at the crossroads between East and West — has stood out more for what it will not do than for what it is doing," The New York Times reports.

Germany has a long, complicated relationship Russia, and the party of new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrats, have traditionally favored working with the Russians rather than confronting them. "Germany's evident hesitation to take forceful measures has fueled doubts about its reliability as an ally," the Times reports, "and added to concerns that Moscow could use German wavering as a wedge to divide a united European response to any Russian aggression."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.