German Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again refused to send fighter jets to Ukraine that would be used to fight against Russia's continuous invasion and criticized Western nations for joining what he called a "bidding war" for sophisticated weapons.
The remarks come after last week when the Central European nation announced that it would deliver its Leopard 2 tanks to embattled Ukraine following weeks of pressure from NATO and European Union allies.
Germany's Aid to Ukraine
In a statement made during an interview on Sunday, Scholz said that officials were already discussing fighter jets after only deciding on sending the battle tanks seemed frivolous. He said the situation undermines the German people's trust in their government's decisions. Scholz added that he advised against entering a bidding war over weapons systems.
Amid Russia's invasion, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andri Melnyk has been pressing Germany to send dozens of its Tornado combat aircraft. He also urged the global community to join a "fighter jet coalition" to support his country's battle against Moscow, as per Aljazeera.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again requested Western nations to support his country. He urged for more high-end weapons systems, a request that he made during his daily address on Saturday. He said he wanted them to send the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
The Ukrainian president said there should be no restrictions on the supply of weapons that are to be used to defend against Russia's continued terror. Last week, Moscow condemned NATO's delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine, saying it was "direct and growing" evidence of the United States and European government's involvement in the war.
On top of refusing to send fighter jets to Ukraine, the German chancellor said that he would call Russian President Vladimir Putin. He aims to stress the importance of creating and maintaining an open channel for discussion to end the conflict.
Global Discussions
Scholz refused to send aircraft to Ukraine after a top Kyiv official on Saturday said that they and Western allies were engaged in "fast-track" talks. According to Politico, these discussions were over the possibility of sending military aircraft and long-range missiles to help deter Russia's aggression.
Zelensky argued that the ATACMS missiles would assist Ukraine in anticipating Russian attacks on urban areas and civilians and act accordingly. During the Taggesspiegel interview, the German chancellor reiterated that NATO was not at war against Russia, adding that they would not allow such an escalation to happen.
Scholz also confirmed that he has been in constant communication with Putin, the most recent of which was revealed to have occurred in December last year. He said communication was important but added that he was always clear with his Russian counterpart that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine was "completely unacceptable."
He also noted that he told Putin that only the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory would lead to a de-escalation of the situation and end the conflict that has lasted nearly a year, said BBC.
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