Scholz in Davos: “We will help Ukraine while it lasts”
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke this Wednesday at the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos (Switzerland). “Russia has already completely failed in its attempt to achieve its imperialist goals. Ukraine defends with great success and impressive courage. The international alliance led by the G-7 supports the country financially and militarily,” Scholz began. “Germany alone provided 12 billion euros last year and we will help Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he added. “But for the war to end, Russian aggression must fail. And therefore, in close cooperation with our allies, we constantly help Ukraine with large quantities of weapons. This includes air defense systems such as the Iris T and Patriot, artillery and armed infantry vehicles,” added Scholz, whose government has been under pressure from its Western partners for days to send modern tanks to Ukraine.
However, this Wednesday in Davos, the German Chancellor did not announce any decision on the Leopard 2, the German-made tanks that Poland and Finland – who have them – want to send to Kyiv, although both need approval from Berlin, the country in which they have them manufactured to export them. Warsaw and Reykjavik are precisely the two partners that have the most units of Leopard tanks ready for quick delivery to Kyiv. Asked during question time about the possible transport of tanks, Scholz defended that Germany was the second country after the United States after Great Britain to have given Ukraine the most support. “We support Ukraine not only with financial and humanitarian aid, but also with many weapons. And when we look at that, we’re one of the countries that’s doing the most,” he said.
“And we will continue to help as much,” added Scholz, who described the multiple missile systems delivered to Ukraine by Berlin as very effective. “We will continue to supply Ukraine with weapons that are very important for Ukraine’s air defense,” said the foreign minister, quoting Iris T. “This is our strategy, based on joint communication with our allies. We are working with them, discussing with them, and we will do something not alone, but with them, especially with the United States, which is very important in this common task of defending the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine. As I said in my speech, we will do this for as long as it is necessary,” said Scholz, who also warned: “It is also clear that we will prevent a war between Russia and NATO.”
The German government has not taken the step of sending tanks to Ukraine, at least for now, fearing that the image of their armored vehicles facing Russian tanks on the battlefield represents a new escalation of the war. However, the UK already announced last weekend that it would make 14 Challenger 2 tanks available to Kyiv to help the Ukrainian army defend against the Russian invasion.
Ukraine has repeatedly claimed that the arrival of Western main battle tanks would give its armed forces enough firepower to rout Russian troops in crucial battles. Kyiv, which has been invaded by Kremlin troops since February 24, believes it needs about 300 Western tanks. “My will, the will of Germany, the EU and the countries that are helping the Ukrainian nation, is that they can be an independent and democratic country that succeeds in joining the EU,” Scholz said at the end of his speech. .
On the same Friday, around thirty NATO defense officials and their partners will take part in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, Germany, the main US air base in Europe. (THE COUNTRY)
In the following video you can see Scholz’s action in Davos: