Arms delivery to Ukraine accelerates Russian withdrawal, not prolongs it – German Chancellor Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at Munich Security Conference
(MSC) and urged allies to supply Ukraine with battle tanks. Scholz told
the plenum that anyone who could do so should “really do it now.” At the
Munich conference, he, along with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, would promote this initiative, as reported by Spiegel.
In addition, Scholz also defended the arms deliveries in his speech as a contribution to an earlier end to the war.
“It is not our arms deliveries that are prolonging the war. The contrary is true,” asserted Scholz.
Additionally, Scholz stated that “the sooner President Putin
realizes that he will not achieve his imperialist goal, the greater the
likelihood of an early end to the war, of withdrawal of Russian
conquering forces.”
According to the chancellor, Germany now offers security leadership.
Scholz stated that “we take upon ourselves the
responsibility that a country of Germany’s size, location, and economic
power must bear in such times.”
He urged partners capable of sending Western-type tanks to Ukraine to do so.
“All those who can send battle tanks of this type
should do so. Defence Minister Pistorius, Foreign Minister Baerbock, and
I personally strongly advocate for this. Germany will do everything in
its power to make these decisions easier for partners. For instance, by
training Ukrainian soldiers to drive tanks here in Germany or providing support in terms of supplies and logistics,” emphasized the German Chancellor.
According to reports, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated
that it would be difficult for Western allies to assemble two complete
battalions of Leopard 2 tanks to fulfill their commitment to Ukraine.
Following a meeting with his German counterpart in Kyev, Ukrainian
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stated that 80 Leopard 1 tanks would
be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year, with the first two dozen
arriving “by summer.”
