After the tanks, will Berlin send fighter jets to Ukraine? For Olaf Scholz the answer is no. Germany will not supply any to Ukraine, the German Chancellor said on Sunday, while Kyiv is urging the West for even more weapons to counter the Russian invasion.
After several weeks of hesitation, Berlin on Wednesday decided to send 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other European countries to supply similar tanks to Kyiv.
When asked in an interview with the Tagesspiegel on Sunday about his reaction to a request from Kyiv to receive combat aircraft, Olaf Scholz spoke up: “The question of combat aircraft does not arise at all. I can only advise against engaging in constant bidding wars on weapons systems.” “If in Germany, as soon as a decision (about the tanks) is made, a new debate about something else starts, “it is not serious and undermines the confidence of the Citizens in government decisions,” he adds.
“There is no war between NATO and Russia”
To justify his election, Olaf Scholz also insisted on the “risk of escalation” with Moscow. “There is no war between NATO and Russia. We will not allow such an escalation,” he said.
In his opinion, it is also “necessary” to continue talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their last meeting dates back to early December. “I will call Putin again,” he said, without giving a deadline. “But of course it is also clear that the current situation will not change as long as Russia continues to wage war by attacking (Ukraine) relentlessly.”