Garry Kasparov For Die Welt: You Can't Appease Putin

The Russian opposition activist appealed to German Chancellor Scholz.

A well-known Russian opposition activist, co-founder of the Free Russia Forum Garry Kasparov wrote an article for the leading German publication Die Welt. He writes that Germany bears historical responsibility for Ukraine:

"In the twentieth century, Germany brought great suffering to Europe. Berlin has a special responsibility to prevent another such human tragedy. As Russia's unprovoked offensive into Ukraine continues, it is time for Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz to intervene and provide Kyiv with everything it needs to protect the Ukrainian people. Time is running out: Ukraine's recent actions in the Kursk region using German equipment have had significant but limited success. In addition, they demonstrated that the Ukrainians can win, but they need the support of the West to reach a victorious end.

I grew up in the Soviet Union, where two decades before I was born, the Nazis killed millions of people. Generations of German leaders vowed to keep the specter of a monstrous war at bay. Vladimir Putin's Russia is the most tangible manifestation of the fascist threat in Europe since 1945. However, today the Scholz government plans to cut aid to Ukraine in half and freeze all new requests for assistance by the end of the year – just at the moment when Ukrainians are taking the initiative.

Instead of waiting for Russian troops to cross the border and no doubt attack new hospitals, schools and shopping malls, Ukraine launched an offensive on the Kursk region, often using equipment provided by Germany and other free countries. The Bundestag Defence Committee approved the use of German weapons in this campaign. This is good news, and it underscores the importance of Western support for Ukraine's success. But Kyiv may find itself on the margins again in the near future if Scholz's cuts continue and German aid to Ukraine runs out.

It is not too late for Germany to change course. Today, my organization, the Initiative for the Renewal of Democracy, launches a petition with a clear message: Scholz should not just cancel his planned aid cuts – he should increase Germany's aid to Ukraine.

And provide the long-range systems necessary to stop Russian aggression at its origins. Including the coveted Taurus missiles, which can destroy the Kerch bridge connecting the occupied Crimea with Russia, deal a decisive blow to the supply lines of the invaders and, possibly, change the course of the war.

This would be the best fulfillment of Germany's historic debt. As Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviychuk noted in her address to the UN last year, “the link between peace and human rights is indissoluble, every state that systematically ignores human rights poses a threat to everyone on its territory and beyond.” Defenders of freedom and democracy should be armed not only with platitudes, when agents of autocracy throw tanks, missiles and planes into battle.

Supporting Ukraine makes life safer for Germans and all Europeans. After all, Putin threatens not only the immediate neighbors, but also the democratic order throughout the continent. Some in Germany are acutely aware of this reality. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recently remarked that his country should be ready for war within five years. 'We should not believe that Putin will stop at the borders of Ukraine,' Pistorius warned. He is right. But instead of building up its own armed forces (at the risk of internal political turmoil) in anticipation of such an outcome, Germany can prevent the very emergence of a threat by decisively supporting Ukraine with weapons that are gathering dust in the warehouses of the Bundeswehr. The West stood aside when Russia invaded Georgia and annexed Crimea. If Moscow is allowed to absorb the whole of Ukraine, then the front lines will not be in Kharkiv and Kherson, but in Vilnius, Warsaw and, possibly, even in Berlin.

And while Putin's military adventures suggest that he poses a mortal threat, his sluggish reaction to the West actually helping Ukrainians defend themselves suggests that he can be stopped. Putin doesn't escalate when we fight back. It is quite the opposite! He goes to exacerbate the conflict when we pacify him. Moscow has threatened 'military and political consequences' if Finland and Sweden join NATO. After their accession to NATO was resolved, Putin changed course: in fact, he has “no problems” with the accession of these countries to the Alliance. In May last year, the Russian president spoke of 'huge risks' for Kyiv's allies if they supply Ukraine with the F-16 fighter jets. American-made fighters are now entering service with the Ukrainian Air Force, and Putin seems no closer to unleashing World War III with NATO than he did two years ago.

Simply put, the likelihood that Putin will go to Germany tomorrow, because Western leaders have opened the door to him in Ukraine, is much higher than if Berlin assumes the responsibility of the leader and opposes the Russian dictator today. Like all modern German leaders before him, Olaf Scholz has repeatedly reiterated that his country's past is a burden for shaping its present. Last month, he stated about the war in Ukraine: “Given our own history, there can be only one place for Germany in this situation – on the side of Ukraine.” Ukraine only asked Germany to fulfill this obligation – in its calls to provide vital military assistance. Yet when Kyiv needed the Taurus missiles – a crucial factor that could have prevented future bloodshed – Scholz coldly dismissed the request as 'irresponsible'.

In fact, the only one who evades responsibility is the German Chancellor."

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