AFP | | Posted by Singh Rahul Sunilkumar
Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated Sunday that Germany won’t ship fighter jets to Ukraine, as Kyiv steps up requires extra superior weapons from the West to assist repel Russia’s invasion.
Scholz solely simply agreed on Wednesday to ship 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to permit different European international locations to ship theirs, after weeks of intense debate and mounting strain from allies.
“I can solely advise towards coming into into a relentless bidding battle with regards to weapons methods,” Scholz mentioned in an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper.
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“If, as quickly as a choice (on tanks) has been made, the following debate begins in Germany, that does not come throughout as critical and undermines residents’ confidence in authorities selections.”
Scholz’s resolution to green-light the tanks was accompanied by a US announcement that it might ship 31 of its Abrams tanks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Berlin and Washington for the transfer, seen as a breakthrough in efforts to help the war-torn nation.
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However Zelensky instantly harassed that Ukraine wanted extra heavy weapons from NATO allies to fend off Russian troops — together with fighter jets and long-range missiles.
Scholz within the interview warned towards elevating “the chance of escalation”, with Moscow already sharply condemning the tank pledges.
“There isn’t a battle between NATO and Russia. We won’t permit such an escalation,” he mentioned.
The chancellor added that it was “essential” to proceed talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The final telephone name between the leaders was in early December.
“I’ll speak to Putin by telephone once more,” Scholz mentioned.
“However in fact it is also clear that so long as Russia continues to wage battle with unabated aggression, the present scenario won’t change.”