Europeans must increase support for Ukraine significantly – Scholz

Olaf Scholz. Stock photo: Getty Images

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged European countries to increase volumes of weapons supplies to Ukraine amid concerns that US aid might come to a halt.

Source: Scholz in an interview for Die Zeit, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: “Europe must do more to support Ukraine in its defence.

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The contributions that the European states have so far earmarked for 2024 are not yet large enough.”

Scholz called for a discussion about how each country can “significantly increase support” for Kyiv.

He added that he gets “rather irritated” that Germany is constantly being criticised for not doing enough when it is already “doing more than all other EU countries, much more”.

Germany is responsible for more than half of known European weapons supplies to Ukraine, and Scholz said it would be “arrogant to think that we can do this by ourselves in the long term”.

“It would not be great if Germany became Ukraine’s biggest supporter if the US stopped supporting Ukraine,” he said, adding that “As [former chancellor] Helmut Schmidt once said, we are only a medium-power state.”

Background:

• Earlier, it was reported that Scholz wanted to make use of the EU Summit on 1 February to urge Ukraine’s partners to send more weapons to Ukraine.
• Josep Borrell, Head of the EU Foreign Policy Department, stated on 22 January that Ukrainians should not worry about a possible decrease in EU support.

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