Berlin, Dec 2 – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a surprise trip to Kyiv on Monday. He pledged that Germany would continue to be Ukraine’s largest supporter in Europe. Scholz also promised to deliver military aid worth 650 million euros ($683 million) this month.
This marks his second visit since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. The visit demonstrates Germany’s commitment to Ukraine amid uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House. It comes as Russian forces are steadily gaining territory.
Scholz plans to discuss important matters with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy aims to urge NATO to invite Ukraine to join the military alliance during a meeting in Brussels this week.
This visit serves as an opportunity for the German chancellor to strengthen his foreign policy credentials. He faces a challenging battle for re-election in a snap vote scheduled for February, following the collapse of his coalition in November.
His support for Ukraine has come under scrutiny. Some critics want him to increase aid to Kyiv, while others include voters who prefer that Germany reduce its weapons and aid shipments to Ukraine.
Olaf Scholz has highlighted Germany as Ukraine’s second-largest weapons supplier after the United States. However, he has consistently declined to send the Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine. He fears that doing so could lead Germany into a direct conflict with Russia.
Scholz also faced criticism from allies, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This call was the first between them in almost two years and critics perceived it as an attempt to gain political advantage domestically.
Scholz stated on X that “Germany will remain Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe.” He mentioned that he would announce additional military equipment valued at 650 million euros during his meeting with Zelenskiy. This equipment is set to be delivered in December.
IN SHADOW OF ELECTION
Ukraine’s support is becoming a significant topic in Germany’s federal election.
Friedrich Merz, the conservative opposition leader likely to replace Scholz, has called for Germany to send Taurus missiles. He also accused the chancellor over the weekend of scare-mongering on this issue.
No program has been published for Scholz’s visit to Ukraine, but visiting leaders usually hold a joint news conference with Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
This visit follows the arrival of Antonio Costa, the new president of the European Union’s Council, and new EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who visited Ukraine to show their support on their first day in office.
Moscow’s troops continue to capture village after village in eastern Ukraine. This push aims to fully seize the industrial Donbas region. Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes are targeting the weakened Ukrainian energy grid as winter approaches.
In November, the outgoing Biden administration allowed Ukraine to use Western weapons to target deeper into Russian territory. In response, Moscow launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile attack on Ukraine. It has also threatened to strike government sites in Kyiv.
Kyiv has long insisted that Moscow withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory. Ukraine seeks Western security guarantees that would equate to NATO membership in order to deter future Russian attacks.
Moscow, which occupies nearly a fifth of Ukrainian land, demands recognition of its annexation and insists that Ukraine remain permanently neutral.
Recently, Zelenskiy proposed that Ukraine could receive NATO membership even while Russia occupies parts of its territory. He believes this could help end the active phase of the war.
Zelenskiy clarified in his remarks on Sunday that any invitation to join NATO should cover all of Ukraine’s territory, even if the alliance’s collective defense agreement doesn’t apply in areas held by Russian forces.
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