German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the nature of the Taurus long-range missiles that Ukraine has been requesting for months prevented Berlin from supplying them.
Mr Scholz said that the use of weapons with a range of 500km risks triggering a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
Despite generously providing military aid to Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz firmly refused to follow France and Britain in providing long-range missiles.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to the public in Berlin, Germany, May 24. (Photo: RT)
Russia has repeatedly warned that by supplying Ukraine with increasingly sophisticated weapons, the West is moving closer to direct involvement in the conflict, “with potentially catastrophic consequences”.
During a question-and-answer session in Berlin on May 24 (local time), a Ukrainian refugee asked the German Chancellor why he was still unwilling to supply Taurus missiles to Kiev despite Russia's new activities in the Kharkiv region.
Scholz replied that “every single decision must be carefully considered,” adding that it was his responsibility to prevent a scenario of “an escalation of tensions, leading to a conflict between Russia and NATO.”
With the Taurus missile, he stressed, “it is impossible if you do not want to be part of this conflict.”
Germany is currently the second-largest aid donor to Ukraine, having spent 28 billion euros ($30.4 billion) on military assistance to Kiev. Chancellor Scholz concluded that “we have really reached the limit of what we can do.”
In an opinion piece published on May 23 in The Economist , Mr. Scholz said “it is important to be clear that NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia.” He asserted that Berlin “will not do anything that would make us a direct party to this conflict.”
Earlier this week, Chancellor Scholz criticised a proposal for a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine, put forward by former military chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the Ukrainian government , calling the idea “dangerous”.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thu-tuong-duc-khong-co-ten-lua-tam-xa-cho-ukraine-ar873348.html
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