Berlin [Germany], January 30: Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, while Kiev is asking the West for more weapons to counter the Russian invasion.
After weeks of hesitation, Berlin decided on Wednesday to send 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other European countries to deliver the tanks to Kiev.
Asked in an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper on Sunday about Kiev's request for fighter jets, Olaf Scholz replied: "The question of fighter jets is not even raised. I can only advise not to enter into a constant bidding war with the systems weapons".
"But as soon as the decision (about tanks) was made, a new debate started in Germany" about something else, planes, and "it is frivolous and undermines the trust of citizens in the government's decisions," he said.
By deciding to send German tanks to Ukraine, Germany followed the position of the United States to supply the Ukrainian army with American-made Abrams tanks.
But Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky, who thanked Berlin and Washington, immediately asked for more,
In an interview, Olaf Scholz once again warned her about the "risk of escalation" in dealings with Moscow. "There is no war between NATO and Russia. We will not allow such an escalation," he said.
According to the chancellor, it is "necessary" to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their last meeting dates back to the beginning of December. "I intend to talk to Putin on the phone again," he said, without specifying when.
"But, of course, it is also clear that the situation will not change as long as Russia continues to wage war with merciless attacks (on Ukraine)," he said.
Source: Beta News Agency
