German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that Berlin does not plan to supply Ukraine with German tanks in order to avoid escalation with Russia.
Schultz said in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that Berlin supports Kyiv, which means it supplies it with modern weapons, such as the Iris-T air defense system and howitzers, but at the same time adheres to three principles in this regard.
He continued: “Firstly, we support Ukraine as much as possible. Secondly, we avoid direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. Thirdly, Germany will not act alone.”
He described his position as firm but level-headed, and it is likely that the Germans would have been satisfied with this.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said earlier that the Kyiv authorities have not yet been able to get Berlin’s consent to send tanks to Ukraine.
Tobias Lindner, a representative of the Greens bloc in the German parliament, confirmed that Berlin refused to transfer Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine because they are part of NATO’s collective defense system.
Source: News