Germany needs to stop apologising and defend its record with Russia

It is abject to find so many Germans – including those who have done much over the years to keep the peace in Europe – accepting blame for misdeeds that are not theirs, writes Mary Dejevsky

Even failed diplomacy is a great deal better than war (AP)

The UK may have been the target of international ridicule in recent weeks, as we saw off our shortest-ever serving prime minister – who had, nevertheless, found the time to crash the economy. But our plight is still better than that of Germany. At least we were, for the most part, only being laughed at; albeit with a sometimes triumphalist and condescending edge.

Germany is being seriously vilified by many in the United States and Europe, and even the entente with France is not what it was. Olaf Scholz – approaching his anniversary as chancellor – went to Paris for lunch with President Macron this week, and left without the customary joint press conference. Everything was fine, they both said; except the signals strongly suggested otherwise.

The reason for Germany’s discomfort can be summed up in two words: Ukraine, and Russia. Germany is felt by those countries most enthusiastically supporting Ukraine not to be pulling its weight, and in particular not to be sending military assistance in the forms and in the quantities that it could and should.