Olaf Scholz: Tweeting on thin ice | ECFR - Feb. 21, 2022 |

The measure of Germany's credibility is not only in polite compliance with the geopolitical course set by the US. It also lies in actively shaping this course and leading the EU in a responsible manner.

On 13 February 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally appeared on Twitter. He used his first tweet to congratulate Frank-Walter Steinmeier on his re-election as president of Germany that day. But this was not the reason for the chancellor's decision to embrace Twitter - nowadays, it is the medium that provides politicians with the greatest visibility. Scholz visited Kyiv on 14 February and Moscow the day after that. He had long faced significant criticism for his inactivity on Twitter and, more importantly, on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. So, at stake in these new efforts at engagement were not just a potential opportunity to de-escalate the Russia-Ukraine conflict but also the reputations of Scholz as a statesman and Germany as a pillar of the West.

"Working for peace is our goddamn duty," Scholz tweeted after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, before adding the well-known formula: "lasting security cannot be achieved without Russia." While in Kyiv, he tweeted that Ukraine's sovereignty was "not negotiable". But he chose his words on possible sanctions carefully, writing: "we'll know what to do." So, Scholz's Twitter diplomacy was not especially brilliant. But has it achieved its main goals?

Germany Goes to War