Zelensky and Scholz Talk About Military Support for Ukraine
December 3, 2024 Hour: 8:07 am
NATO Secretary said Ukraine needs more military support to be in a position of strength when peace talks with Moscow begin.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met to discuss military and diplomatic support for Kiev in the coming months.
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The talks focused on bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Germany and collaboration with other partners. Zelensky expressed gratitude to Scholz for Germany’s continued military support, including the provision of Patriot and IRIS-T air defense systems, as well as Gepard anti-aircraft guns.
Zelensky also welcomed Germany’s latest military aid package worth about US$683 million, which is set to be delivered this month. Scholz noted that Germany’s military assistance to Kiev since the start of the full-scale Russia-Ukraine conflict has reached about US$29.4 billion.
“In 2025, we will continue to deliver air defense systems, howitzers, and combat and reconnaissance drones. Additionally, six armed Sea King helicopters,” the German Chancellor said.
Scholz arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for his first bilateral visit to Ukraine since the conflict began. Previously, he visited Kiev in 2022 as a part of a delegation with leaders from France, Romania, and Italy.
On Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Ukraine needs more military support to be in a position of strength when peace talks with Moscow begin.
“More military aid and less debate about what a peace process might look like,” he said at a press conference ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
“Over the next two days, the meeting will focus on how to ensure that when Ukraine decides to start peace talks, it does so from a position of strength. To get there, it is crucial that more military aid is injected into Ukraine,” Rutte said.
Last week, President Zelensky suggested a ceasefire agreement in the Ukraine war could be reached if the territory he currently controls were brought “under the umbrella of NATO” and he could negotiate with Russia to return the rest later diplomatically.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE – Xinhua
