MUNICH — As Kiev called for more advanced military aid, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday urged Western allies to make good on their promise to send Ukraine the battle tanks many have longed for. his water provided long ago.
After weeks of heavy public pressure from European allies, Last month, Germany agreed to send at least 14 Leopard 2 . battle tanks to Ukraine and allowed other countries to re-export German-made vehicles for the war effort. Now, however, Berlin has found itself in the awkward position of promoting the very same European partners who urged Berlin to act to supply enough of their Leopards to make a difference on the battlefield.
“We will do whatever we can to make this decision easier for our partners – for example, by training Ukrainian soldiers in Germany or supporting them with supplies and logistics. needed,” Mr. Scholz said at the first day of the Munich Security Conference. He did not name specific countries.
After his speech, in a discussion with CNN host Christiane Amanpour, he was asked how Germany had gone from being urged to send Leopard tanks to now urging others to do the same. any. Mr. Scholz smiled before replying in English to a burst of laughter: “Yeah. There’s a question I have to ask other people – especially those who have repeatedly urged me to act in a particular way.”
He was careful not to imply that Germany would take on a stronger role in supplying arms to Ukraine in general, stressing that he felt his government had made the right decision by insisting that the United States also sent American-made tanks as a condition of supplying arms to Ukraine. Berlin to send their own.
“The only strategy for solidarity is not to do something alone but to discuss it with others and your partners,” said Mr. Scholz. “This is what we do, and we really appreciate the alliance with the United States.”
“We’ve done a lot – not just the last step – together,” he added, “and I’m sure we’ll continue.”
Asked by Ms Amanpour if he expected a similar round of discussions and pressure before agreeing to Ukraine’s demands for more advanced weapons such as fighter jets, Mr. Scholz declined.
“You’re asking me about another question that’s not on the table, not on the agenda,” he said.
Instead, he said, Europe should focus on delivering on the weapons promises it has made, such as tanks.
In his speech, Mr. Scholz highlighted his efforts over the past year to create a “Zeitenwende” or turning point in Germany by supporting the country’s military with a fund of 100 billion euros (106 billion euros). billion USD).
He also said that Germany had made great strides in its efforts to take on a stronger role in European affairs. At the heart of that is violating one of its biggest taboos, he said: supplying weapons to a war zone. Germany provided 12 million euros in aid to Ukraine last year, he noted, and has arrested nearly a million Ukrainians since the war started.
However, he stressed that European countries will need to work together in their military structures to maintain security on the continent. “In arms policy, the European Union must be strategically united,” he said.
He highlighted several projects of European countries: The Future Combat Air System of France and Spain; Main Ground Combat System developed by Germany and France; and the German proposal for the European Sky Shield Initiative to strengthen Europe’s air defenses.
“These are steps towards a Europe that is more capable of acting geopolitically – a Europe that is also a stronger transatlantic ally,” he said.
