Scholz assures Zelenskyy of strengthening military support for Ukraine
Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany (Photo: Getty Images)
Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz assured Ukraine of strengthening cooperation with international partners regarding military support for Ukraine during a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports Sky News.
The chancellor and the Ukrainian president agreed to continue their constructive dialogue, also with a view to global support for a peace solution, and to remain in close contact," according to a statement from the German government spokesperson quoted by the new agency.
Zelenskyy also announced on Telegram about the conversation with Scholz, during which the parties discussed further political, economic, and defense cooperation.
"We discussed the development of defense cooperation at the state level, as well as among representatives of the defense industry complex and the localization of defense production in Ukraine. I conveyed the priority needs of Ukrainian defenders in armored vehicles, artillery, and air defense systems," the president wrote.
The parties also exchanged views on the results of the Conference in support of Ukraine in Paris on February 26 and coordinated positions ahead of the meeting of the leaders of the Weimar Triangle, which will take place on Friday in Berlin with the participation of Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, and Donald Tusk.
The Bundestag once again failed to approve the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Earlier today, it became known that the German Bundestag once again failed to pass a vote on the proposal to supply German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
690 deputies took part in the vote. 495 deputies voted against, 190 - in favor, and 5 abstained.
During the debates, the leader of the parliamentary faction SPD Rolf Mützenich defended Chancellor Olaf Scholz's refusal to supply.
The issue of transferring Taurus to Ukraine
Since last year, Ukraine has been asking Germany to transfer Taurus missiles capable of destroying targets at distances of up to 500 kilometers.
However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not want to transfer such weapons. He argues that German soldiers must be present to deploy missiles on Ukrainian territory. Their task may be to target the missiles. Scholz also fears that if the missiles are "misused," they could strike targets in Moscow.
However, the chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, noted that Scholz's statement about the need for the presence of German military personnel in Ukraine to deploy Taurus missiles is erroneous.
For more information on whether our country will receive German long-range missiles, see the material from RBC-Ukraine.
