German Chancellor proposes 'Finlandization' of Ukraine

According to RIA Novosti, Western media quoted German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit as saying that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US presidential candidate Donald Trump had a phone conversation on November 10 and agreed to cooperate to "return peace" to Europe.

Reuters quoted a press secretary as saying: "German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a telephone conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump on the evening of November 10."

According to spokesman Hebestreit, the politicians agreed to “work together to restore peace to Europe”.

Also related to European security, earlier that day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and proposed the idea of ​​“Finlandizing” Ukraine.

Responsible Statecraft said many people believe that “Finlandization” would imply Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO, similar to Finland’s neutrality during the Cold War.

Responsible Statecraft believes that the discussion of such ideas in Europe and Germany in particular is a signal of a serious change in attitudes towards the Ukrainian conflict in Western society.

“The fact that the ‘Finlandization’ option is being discussed in principle shows that the discussion in Europe has moved from the mantra of ‘whatever it takes for Ukraine to win’ to a more sober assessment of the situation on the ground. Chancellor Scholz has expressed opinions that until recently were considered taboo – in particular, on direct negotiations with Russia at the next peace summit on Ukraine,” the Responsible Statecraft publication said.

Yet in Germany itself, a deep political crisis is unfolding, with the country's major parties divided over their positions on the conflict in Ukraine.

So, Responsible Statecraft argues, even if “Finlandization” of Ukraine becomes the official policy of the new German government, the golden moment to prevent further escalation may have been missed.