Scholz wants "no escalation of war", yet more weapons to Ukraine
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Following accusations of being intimated by Putin, Olaf Scholz has assured that he aims to ensure "no escalation of war" but is still adamant to supply Ukraine with weapons.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (AFP)
According to the German news outlet NTV, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz claimed that his focus is aimed at “ensuring that there is no escalation of the war,” following the comments of retired Bundeswehr general Klaus Wittmann who accused him of a lack of “leadership” and of appearing intimidated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This weekend, Scholz emphasized during a traditional ‘open-doors day’ that Germany is currently “in the process of supplying the most modern and efficient equipment,” referring to recent multiple deliveries of self-propelled ‘Gepard’ anti-aircraft guns and PzH 2000 howitzers.
More to be supplied soon
Scholz promised that - without indicating any clear timeline - that even more weapons “will be there soon", apparently referring to the long-promised deliveries of an Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile system and a Cobra artillery radar.
Half of the German population has expressed its opposition to delivering heavy arms to Ukraine, per a poll conducted by the German Institute for New Social Answers. Berlin vowed in June to send Kiev one Iris-T unit for free, but Ukraine requested at least a dozen of the most advanced air-defense systems and has offered to purchase the rest directly from the manufacturer, even as Germany’s armed forces reportedly do not have a sufficient supply of those for themselves. According to previous reports, Kiev is anticipated to receive the first supply no earlier than November.
Germany also affirmed a Cobra artillery radar to Ukraine last month, reportedly due for delivery in September. According to German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Kiev has already signed the contract for the materials and troops should be starting training for “this highly complex system.”
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Germany has joined the frenzy of Western sanctions against Russia, with its most recent one coming into effect last month, and supplied Ukrainian forces with a significant amount of weapons. Scholz has however faced criticism in Germany over supposedly not doing enough to support Ukraine from both his fellow coalition members, including Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, as well as the ex-Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin, Andrey Melnyk, who even labeled Scholz an “offended liverwurst” over his refusal to visit Kiev in May.
