There is no change in Vladimir Putin’s assessment of the war he launched against Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday in Berlin about his telephone conversation with the Russian president the day before.
The chancellor – who last spoke with the Russian head of state at the end of May – told a question during his briefing with the Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili: based on the dialogue held after more than three months of interruption, he sees
unfortunately, the Russian president has not matured to realize that it was a mistake to start this war, and it does not seem as if his attitude will change, even though it is becoming clearer every day that the only way to peace can be opened by the complete withdrawal of Russian troops.
When asked whether Germany is willing to be the first and only country to support Ukraine with Western-German-made tanks, he stated that they will continue to send weapons to the Ukrainian forces defending against the Russian attack only in consultation with partners.
He emphasized that the developments of the last few days show that
it was the weapons received from Germany that contributed the most to the fact that “the Ukrainians are able to defend their country in a very spectacular way”.
He added that Berlin remains focused on developing Ukrainian firepower and air defense capabilities. As an example, he mentioned that the IRIS-T air defense missile system, which is considered among the most modern German-developed weapon systems, will also be delivered to Ukraine, even though the German army (Bundeswehr) does not yet have such a system.
It is also clear from the government’s regularly updated records that Germany provides crucial military support to Ukraine, noted Olaf Scholz, referring to a public compilation, according to which four Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were delivered in the last week alone, bringing the number to 24.
Regarding the renewed fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, both the German Chancellor and the Georgian Prime Minister urged an immediate end to the violence. Irakli Garibasvili emphasized that his government views the bloodshed in Georgia’s neighborhood with deep concern, which it considers unacceptable. Olaf Scholz emphasized that “this conflict is senseless and costs people’s lives, it must be resolved peacefully”.
Regarding the fact that Germany and other European countries count on Azerbaijan to make up for the loss caused by Russian gas deliveries curtailed in connection with the war against Ukraine, Olaf Scholz said that “there are always difficulties with economic consequences somewhere”, but Germany has “learned from its mistakes” and is trying to do more source its natural gas supply because this is the only way to strengthen the country’s “energy independence and energy sovereignty”.
debreceninap.hu / MTI
