Volodymyr Dzhydzhora, former Advisor to the EU and NATO Department of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry (2019–2021), President of the Association of Reserve Officers and Veterans, and Vice President of the United Confederation of Reserve Officers of NATO Countries, expressed this opinion on Espreso TV."It's hard to say whether the political game between Moscow and Washington is still going on behind closed doors. But the fact that Germany has already said it’s ready to give us long-range weapons may be part of the same game. The message is: look, we (the U.S.) are holding off, this is Germany’s move. And that lets Germany pursue several political and geostrategic goals,” he said.According to Dzhydzhora, it’s also about shedding the burden of historical guilt placed on Germany for decades by the Soviet Union, the idea that Germany is forever to blame for the rise of Nazism, and therefore must stay silent and has no moral ground. Now, Germany is trying to act politically to restore its global standing."And it could also be a pass-the-ball game among NATO allies, some taking the political lead and saying they’re ready, others doing the actual transfer of weapons. Will this strategy work? I think we’ll find out soon," he added.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would play a key role in buying U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine.