Berlin will also send heavy weapons to Ukraine. The green light from the German Bundestag, which arrived yesterday with 586 votes in favour, 100 against and 7 abstentions, is a turning point for a country that had avoided exposing itself so as not to provoke Moscow and is now at risk of starting the conflict to escalate further. “We received a strong mandate from the Bundestag,” commented Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was recently criticized by his own majority for being far too “shy”. The head of the Kiev negotiators, Mykhailo Podolyak, described the Bundestag’s unity as “impressive”: “This vote will go down in history as one of the last nails in the coffin of Putin’s lobbies in Europe and as the return of the German leadership,” he tweeted. Germany will provide effective tanks for short-range anti-aircraft defense, but Kyiv is running out of ammunition, and the soldiers are forced to save on bullets, and the “donors” turned to Eastern European countries that have compatible material.
More weapons are on their way from Britain, which is already supplying Kyiv with long-range missiles and is now planning to send special “anti-ship” batteries. With the goal, stated by Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Secretary of State Liz Truss, to force Russia to leave “all of Ukraine,” including Donbass and Crimea, and prevent it from “controlling the Black Sea.” Truss calls on the West to “dig deep” in its weapons stockpiles: “The crisis in Ukraine must be the catalyst for change, for the West to review its approach to international security and redouble its support for Kyiv.” But the arms deliveries from the NATO states are viewed by Moscow as a “danger to the security of Europe.” It is Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov who is warning those who side with Kiev against an action that will “create instability” across the continent. The British defense minister dismisses the Russian accusation of NATO interference in the conflict, according to which the United Kingdom is supplying arms “like 40 other countries on the basis of bilateral agreements”. For Wallace, Vladimir Putin’s warning about the possible “rapid response” with “weapons nobody has” must be taken seriously, but must not be “overly alarming” and must not hamper commitment to defending Ukraine from aggression. The Russian president’s goal would only be to raise the tone to cover up “his failure” on the battlefield.
Ukrainian authorities have claimed the “right” to defend themselves by attacking military targets on Russian territory: “Russia attacked Ukraine and killed civilians. Ukraine will defend itself in any way, including attacks on the killers’ depots and bases,” stressed Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidency Podolyak. But Moscow regards raids on its territory with Western weapons as a “provocation” and threatens a harsh response. “We do not recommend testing our patience,” warns Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
For its part, NATO is ready to support Ukraine in the war against Russia for years. And they will do so, said the Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, who is also helping Kyiv transition “from old Soviet-era weapons to modern Western military equipment” and is providing the necessary training. Stoltenberg also said that if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO “they will be welcomed with open arms”: “We have worked with these countries for years, we know that their armed forces have NATO standards, we have carried out many missions together , and I expect the process to be quick ».