Why did Olaf Scholz reverse Germany’s refusal to send lethal weapons to active combat zones?

Olaf Scholz reversed Germany’s long-standing post-World War II policy of refusing to send lethal weapons to active combat zones in direct response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.12

Scholz characterized the invasion as the most significant threat to European security since the end of the Cold War and declared that the aggression signaled a Zeitenwende (a "new era") in the history of Europe. He asserted that this watershed moment required an "unequivocal response" from Germany to aid the defenders of Ukraine. Following this policy pivot, Germany dispatched antitank weapons and surface-to-air missiles to the region.12