.jpg?itok=QzdaqETa&offsetX=0&offsetY=0&cropWidth=1920&cropHeight=1080&width=2048&height=1152&impolicy=dynamic "President Zelensky lashes out at Germany, but still gets standing ovation")
Zelensky gave the German parliamentarians a history lesson. He always drew a comparison between German history and the current situation in Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, Germany has erected a new wall in the middle of Europe in recent years, at the expense of Ukraine. Zelensky called on German Chancellor Scholz to tear down that wall and allow Ukraine to join the European Union.
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Zelenski’s spirited tone is no surprise to correspondent Jeroen Akkermans in Berlin. “Zelensky is president of a country in distress. He is doing everything he can to get help, economically and militarily. After the war broke out, Germany started supplying arms to Ukraine. That is already a big step here. But Ukraine member of the European Union? That is still a step too far for the German Chancellor Scholz.”
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Controversial Nord Stream 2
During his speech, Zelensky accused Germany that it only had an eye for economic ties with Russia and the money that could be earned from them. The low point, as far as Zelensky is concerned, is the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This pipeline connects Germany directly with Russia, bypassing the existing pipeline through Ukraine.
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The German government has always said that this is a purely economic project. But according to Zelensky, Nord Stream has always been a political project for Putin, a preparation even for war.
Jeroen Akkermans: “Nord Stream is indeed painful. The German government now sees the political component of the project and has shut down Nord Stream 2. Zelensky also wants Nord Stream 1 to be closed, but Russian gas is still flowing to Germany as a result, simply because this country can’t do without.”
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Nazi-Germany
Zelensky went way back in history. He drew a parallel between Ukraine now and Nazi Germany eighty years ago. A city like Kharkov was destroyed during World War II by the Nazis and now again by Russian soldiers.
Zelensky clearly played on the German feeling of guilt during his speech: “Every year politicians say: never again. And now we see that those words are worth nothing. A people in Europe is being destroyed, they are trying to destroy everything we hold dear. “
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Moral pressure on Germany increased
Akkermans: “Zelenski has no other means than to exert moral pressure on Germany, the most important member of the European Union. He clearly indicates that his country is pulling the coals out of the fire when it comes to European values such as democracy and freedom. And there are they are sensitive to this here in Germany.”
And so Zelensky got applause from the German parliamentarians, for several minutes. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian president had just washed their ears. Zelensky has greatly increased the moral pressure on Germany. And that could lead to more economic and military support that is desperately needed to keep up the war.
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