US Vice President Kamala Harris with French President Emmanuel Macron in Munich POOL | REUTERS
Zelensky insists on asking for more weapons and more quickly
17 feb 2023 . Updated at 9:56 p.m.
Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholzand the French president, Emmanuel Macronexpressed this Friday their conviction that the war will be a long conflict, but warned that they will support Ukraine until the end in the face of Russian aggression, while calling for increased supplies of weapons to repel the current Russian offensive.
During the opening of the 59. Munich Security Conference both harshly criticized Vladimir Putin and his policy of neo-imperialism. The chancellor defended his policy of balancing between the best possible aid for Ukraine and preventing an unwanted escalation of the conflict before those who criticize his alleged delays and doubts when it comes to acting. The course the West has taken leads by uncharted terrainwarned Scholz, who commented that for the first time in history a nuclear power carries out an imperialist offensive war on European soil and there were no plans for that event.
Noting that Germany is now the largest European supplier of arms to Ukraine and that it has taken in more than a million refugees, Scholz stressed the high value of unity in NATO, but nevertheless criticized the discrepancy between the vague promises and firm commitments to provide Ukraine with modern tanques Leopard 2. Germany has so far failed to build a complete battalion of tanks of this model with the help of other allied countries after contributing a company.
Unkept promises
The federal chancellor demanded that those who promised that tank comply and gave vent to his irritation after being criticized for allegedly delaying his government’s permission to ship, also by friendly nations that now do not fulfill promises made.
In his opinion, the EU must now pull the same rope in unison in terms of arms policy. He added that Germany is going to significantly increase its defense spending and warned that the continent needs an efficient and competitive arms industry, for which he cited the future combat aircraft being developed by Germany, Spain and France as an example. He also called on the EU partners to end the risky unilateral dependencies of third countries. We Germans know what we are talking about. After all, we have managed in the last twelve months to become independent of Russian energy, Scholz explained.
This is not the time for dialogue with RussiaMacron said in turn, stressing that possible peace negotiations with the Kremlin will only take place under the conditions dictated by Ukraine. After assuring that France and the West are preparing for a long conflict, he stressed that Putin cannot be allowed to win this war and accused the Kremlin of causing incredible disorder in the world. The French president pointed out that Putin has failed in all his objectives by failing to wipe Ukraine off the map due to the admirable resistance of his people and causing Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership.
Earlier, in his virtual speech, the Ukrainian president, Volodmir Zelensky, stressed that his country is the David of the free world who fights against the russian goliath and urged his allies to provide their troops with the war material they need in greater quantity and faster. According to Zelensky, not only the Dniper river is in danger, but also the Thames in London and the Spree that crosses Berlin before saying that his country is not worth a single slingshot to defeat its neighboring giant and recalled his long list of arms wishes and the request for the dispatch of fighter-bombers.
There is no alternative to our victory and there must be no alternative to our decision either, he stressed to a packed audience. He also called for a speedy admission of his country to the EU and NATO, for which there is no alternative.