The Chancellor and the US President share a hotel in New York. On the world stage of heads of government, the German Olaf Scholz (65, SPD) and the American Joe Biden (80) are pretty much best friends.
The fact that they were sleeping in the same building during the General Assembly week at the United Nations (UN) was more a coincidence than a plan. But on the world stage, when it came to the Ukraine war, they appeared as coordinated as if they had been rehearsing in a hotel room.
The USA and Germany are in first and second place among Ukraine supporters. Biden and Scholz emphasized again in New York: We will help Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia, for as long as it needs our help. But in many other countries around the world, after 19 months of war, impatience and pressure for peace negotiations are growing.
Scholz warns UN against bogus solutions
Both Biden and Scholz presented the Ukraine did not start her speech. It was a signal to the developing and emerging countries from Africa and Asia that they also see their problems (climate change, economy) and don’t just want to talk to them about the Ukraine war.
But both then emphasized, with a view to all the countries that want the war to end as quickly as possible, that it is the aggressor Russia that can end the war immediately – with a troop withdrawal.
In his UN speech, Scholz warned against bogus solutions “that only have peace in their name.” The Chancellor: “Peace without freedom means oppression. Peace without justice is called diktat.”
Even if Biden and Scholz supported Zelenskyj in the peace negotiations, they have not yet fulfilled another urgent wish of his: missiles with a range of several hundred kilometers. So far, neither Biden has released his ATACMS short-range missiles nor Scholz his Taurus cruise missiles.
The world sees war so differently
► Brazil’s President Lula da Silva (77) is one of the loudest calls for a diplomatic end to the war: in his UN speech he criticized the fact that “a lot was invested in weapons and little in development”. “Work needs to be done to create space for negotiations.”
Before his UN speech, Scholz met, among others, Brazilian President Lula da Silva
► Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) warned the international community in the UN building against getting involved with the Russian warmonger Vladimir Putin (70). According to Zelensky, he knows that some people are preparing “shady deals” with Russia behind the scenes. Zelensky thinks this is a terrible mistake: “ You can’t trust evil – ask Prigozhin.” He was referring to the head of the Wagner troops, who crashed his plane exactly two months after his attempted coup.
► Biden and Scholz then chose the strategy: stand firmly on the side of Ukraine without offending the war doubters from the global south (e.g. Brazil, South Africa).