German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been accused of weakening Europe by refusing to take a hard line on Russia despite warnings that Putin is about to invade Ukraine. '[Germany's] Russia policy must be fundamentally corrected,' the letter says. 'As a key country of the EU, NATO and the Western community of values, Germany has a special responsibility.' The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said last week that approval was tied to any potential conflict with Russia over Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier on Tuesday during a visit to see Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow that it was difficult not to assess Russia's military build-up near Ukraine's borders as 'a threat.'

Source: The Nation January 18, 2022 18:09 UTC