war in Ukraine
Scholz: Putin did not threaten Germany
Was heavily criticized for hesitating on the battle tank issue: Chancellor Olaf Scholz. photo
© Boris Roessler/dpa
Ukraine receives Leopard 2 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. The people in Germany are afraid of being drawn into the war. Is this concern justified?
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has countered fears that Germany could be drawn into Russia’s war against Ukraine by supplying battle tanks.
He told the “Bild am Sonntag”: “We have carefully weighed every delivery of weapons, closely coordinated with our allies, above all with America. This joint approach prevents the war from escalating.” In telephone calls, he made it “very clear” to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia alone was responsible for the war. Putin threatened neither him – Scholz – nor Germany.
The federal government had promised Ukraine Leopard 2 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. Other countries such as the USA had also announced that they would supply battle tanks to Kyiv. Scholz was heavily criticized for hesitating on the battle tank issue.
Putin: Again German weapons against Russia
Putin had accused Germany of allowing itself to be drawn into a war with Russia. “It’s unbelievable, but it’s a fact: we’re being threatened again by the German Leopard tank,” he said recently. As in the Second World War, German weapons are being used to fight against Russia on Ukrainian soil. Contrary to what Putin portrayed, there were no Leopard tanks at the time.
Asked about Putin’s statements, Scholz said: “His words are part of a series of abstruse historical comparisons that he uses to justify his attack on Ukraine. But this war cannot be justified by anything. Russia is waging a merciless war against Ukraine.” When asked whether there was an agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that weapons from the West would only be used on Ukrainian territory and that Russia would not be attacked on its territory, Scholz said: “There is a consensus on that.”