Berlin is Kyiv's new best friend.What a difference a war makes

Olaf Scholz, Germany's safety-first chancellor, has been harshly criticised for foot-dragging on military assistance for Ukraine.

- Simon Tisdall

As Russia's invasion loomed, he was ridiculed for offering 5,000 helmets instead of heavy weapons.

Early German doubts and prevarications delayed delivery of missiles and Leopard tanks. It got so bad that, in April last year, Germany's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was bluntly told he was not welcome in Kyiv.

What a difference a war makes! As the conflict approaches the two-year mark, Scholz, remarkably, is now leading the western effort to keep Ukraine afloat.

Continued US military aid is in doubt. President Joe Biden's proposed new $61.4bn package has been blocked by Republicans in Congress. EU funds worth €50bn ($54bn) are held up by Hungary's Kremlin-friendly leader, Viktor Orbán.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson boastfully claimed to be President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's best friend. Yet Rishi Sunak, his latest successor, has so far failed to renew annual assistance of £2.3bn ($2.9bn) in the year ahead. Visiting Kyiv last month, David Cameron, one of Sunak's predecessors, vowed to provide "all the military support that you need". But Cameron had no new hardware or cash to offer, and the government's autumn budget statement avoided the subject.

"UK leadership on Ukraine is flagging," said Labour's shadow defence secretary, John Healey. "UK military funding runs out in March, while this month Germany announced military aid for next year of €8bn." Unlike Cameron, Scholz's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, made a downpayment in Kyiv last month.