It’s been almost a year since Russia invaded the Ukraine for not wanting to be Russian enough. They had hoped for a quick victory, but now they are apparently bogged down against a less heavily armed but more tenacious enemy.
European nations, once they got over their initial shock, were quick to condemn the action and pledge support to the Ukrainians. Some more than others.
Take Germany, for example. His newly installed chancellor, Olaf Scholz, demonstrated that he was not to be trifled with by immediately announcing military aid to Ukraine in the form of helmets. Yes, helmets. And only 5,000 of them at it.
As soon as everyone was done laughing (and that took a while), he stammered that he wasn’t lying. That made everyone crumple once more. Military officials in the Moscow Kremlin reportedly also got a good laugh. Lots of broken bellies in Europe because of that.
Asked if he would consider sending arms to Ukraine, the German chancellor said he would. He replied that he could consider sending either a left or a right arm, but not both. More laughter followed.
Unable to act decisively, Herr Olaf Scholz of Germany seemed frozen by the events sweeping across Eastern Europe. That prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to ask Olaf if he liked warm hugs. Putin then asked Olaf if he wanted to build a snowman until he realized that he probably was one, as his inability to make a decision made him seem frozen. Incidentally, snowmen don’t have backbones either, so that also fits. That convinced Putin that invading would not be a problem in winter, since the cold never bothered him anyway.
Now, a year later, some countries are getting a little bolder. It turns out that some German tanks could be heading to the Ukraine to help in the fight. However, not from Germany, but from Poland.
Yes, brave little Poland.
That is what Ukraine really needs now. However, Germany has been reluctant to upset Moscow further. Some German-made Leopard tanks appearing in kyiv could make Vladimir Putin unfriend the German Chancellor on Facebook and that would be humiliating for him as he is addicted to social media. He is still upset by the record number of “thumbs down” he got after the helmet offer to kyiv.
So Poland is taking the lead in shipping the German tanks through their government, but they need Germany’s permission to do so, since that’s where they came from in the first place. And as you can imagine, Berlin isn’t exactly moving at lightning speed to green light the deal.
Thousands of surplus French World War II rifles could also be heading to Ukraine. They are still in excellent condition, having never been fired and only thrown once.
The West, finally growing a backbone, has decided to send tanks to the Ukraine, which created a powder keg. This has started a war of words with both sides exchanging barrages of insults. Russia criticized the West’s decision to send tanks, and the West responded that it was not their beeswax. Putin, who has a short fuse, flew into a rage, criticizing his response and igniting more explosive rhetoric from the Kremlin, further inflaming the situation. Phew!
Frustrated by Germany’s indecision, France has offered to send some of its fearsome Leclerc tanks and some 1980s Le Cars. French tanks are unusual in that they have five reverse gears and one forward gear in case the enemy attack from behind. Instead, Ukraine suggested that Paris send its tanks to Russia. That could help tip the scales of the war against Moscow and make it easier for Ukraine to win.
To this offer, Ukrainian President Zelensky of Ukraine said: “Tanks, but no tanks.” But he was satisfied with the offer.
Joe Crawford is a longtime Alton resident who writes weekly columns for The Telegraph. He can be reached at crawfordjo@aol.com.
