I have always had the impression that Scholz never wanted to escalate the conflict with Russia but was coerced into it. Now, with the elections in February and a new US admin around the corner, he has no other choice than coming out against further escalation.

Gone are the days of Schröder and Chirac, who never got involved in Irak. I remember Schröder even once accused Bush of lying about him agreeing with him on the subject: "Der amerikanische Präsident sagt nicht die Wahrheit" he once said unambiguously.