Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Prime Minister Draghi visit Kyiv. In the Ukrainian capital they will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The three politicians had each other according to ZDF met in the night in the Polish city of Rzeszow, from there it went on overland to Ukraine. The visit is intended to be a sign of support for the war-torn country. The talks with the Ukrainian government will focus on the course of the war, Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU and further aid for the country.
The Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk had asked Scholz in advance to promise further arms deliveries during his visit to Kyiv. In Kyiv, the main expectation is that Scholz will finally give the green light for the requested 88 Leopard 1 main battle tanks and 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, which the Rheinmetall group can deliver immediately, says Melnyk Rheinische Post. In addition, Scholz must release heavy weapons from the stocks of the Bundeswehr. “Nothing stands in the way of Germany making a significant part of its own 800 Fuchs transport tanks, 325 Leopard 2 tanks or 380 Marder tanks available to the Ukrainian army in order to crush the Russian troops.”
In the medium term, Ukraine will also need German submarines, corvettes, patrol boats and combat boats to defend the long Black Sea coast and eliminate Russian superiority at sea. This would also guarantee freedom of navigation and food security.
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