Scholz: German media not reflecting full debate over Ukraine arms

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticized the country's media outlets over their reporting on Berlin's military aid for Ukraine, suggesting views critical of weapons deliveries during the conflict have not been given enough attention.

In an interview with the regional Nordkurier newspaper released on Monday, Scholz said he had spoken to many opponents of the level of aid for Kiev "both in eastern and western Germany," and believes their views have not been reflected in the media.

Germany is the second-biggest provider of weapons to Ukraine behind the United States for its defence against the Russian invasion, but there has been opposition among some parts of the population.

Political parties opposing aid for Ukraine have recently seen a surge in the polls, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) both performing well in state elections in September.

After the chancellor's initial remarks, the interviewer asked Scholz to "please explain the logic."

The chancellor said he receives constant questions from citizens at public meetings about German military aid, but not from reporters.

"This question was, for a long time, never asked in interviews and barely played a role in newspapers, on television or on the radio," Scholz then argued.

Reporters only ever ask him whether Germany was sending enough military aid, he said.

As a result, the debate on the conflict in Ukraine has become lopsided, the chancellor said, suggesting that "a perspective that was prominent in the public discussion was missing from the published discussion."

In Scholz's view, the missing discourse has made it more difficult to convince German citizens of the need to support Kiev against the Russian invasion.

Even more worryingly, he argued, it has also led to concerns over the closeness of German politics and media.

"The worst that can happen to our democracy is for the media and politics to be perceived as one," Scholz said.

At the start of the war in Ukraine, Scholz responded by announcing a huge financial investment in the German military and arms deliveries for Kiev.

However, Scholz's refusal to supply long-range weapons has been critiqued by Ukraine's backers, who point out that other EU countries have provided more aid in proportion to the size of their economies.