German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged to send Ukraine high-tech anti-aircraft systems as Germany looks to quell criticism from opposition members that it hasn't provided enough military aid in the fight against Russia's unprovoked invasion.
Speaking to lawmakers in Berlin on June 1, Scholz said the government had approved a proposal to ship
IRIS-T missiles and radar systems to Kyiv as Russia continues to pound targets in eastern Ukraine.
The goal is
to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin "does not win" the war he started in Ukraine, Scholz said.
"Our goal is for Ukraine to be able to defend itself and succeed in doing so," he added.
Russia has stepped up its offensive to take further ground in areas where Moscow-backed separatists already have a foothold as Western nations rush to get weapons to Ukraine, which lacks the firepower of Russia.
Scholz's announcement comes hours after U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington will provide Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that can strike with precision at targets up to 80 kilometers away.
The rocket system known as HIMARS, can be used both to intercept Russian artillery and to take out Russian positions in towns where fighting is intense, such as Syevyerodonetsk.
Comment: Here's what they've been
saying about Scholz:
Between March 30 and May 26, Germany made only two weapons deliveries to Kiev, the US-based Insider reported on Tuesday, citing the original report by the German daily Die Welt am Sonntag. Both outlets are owned by Axel Springer. The company's values statement, which all German employees are required to sign, is explicitly pro-NATO and pro-American.
According to Insider, Germany "reduced its military support" to Ukraine over the past several weeks, even as Kiev ramped up its demands for more and heavier weapons to fight against Russia. The outlet framed as suspicious the fact that the alleged reduction came ahead of the May 28 phone call, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron that sending more weapons to Kiev would cause "further destabilization."
Not only has Scholz refused to send German tanks and armored vehicles to Ukraine, but Germany has "supplied hardly any light weapons worth mentioning," according to Die Welt. When reached for comment by the outlet, the German defense ministry said it could not provide detailed information on the matter because "information on specific arms deliveries is security-related and classified."
Switzerland, citing its neutrality stance, has
banned Denmark from supplying Ukraine with its Swiss-made armored vehicles. US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says that while the U.S. will continue to
supply weapons to Ukraine, they are only for defensive purposes, and the "We're not providing any weapons that will allow the Ukrainians to attack Russia from inside of Ukraine, and President [Joe] Biden has been very clear on that. We're not going to become [a] party to the war." How's that going to work?
The same day, Biden promised to supply "more advanced rocket systems." Kiev provided "assurances" that they won't use them to strike Russian territory. They promise.
"As much as I disagree with Mr. Putin, and find his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to bring about his ouster in Moscow," Biden wrote.
"We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. We do not want to prolong the war just to inflict pain on Russia."
We'll believe it when we see it!
The Kremlin has
responded, pointing out that Kiev's assurances cannot be trusted. They have a poor record keeping their word.
Comment: Unbelievable! They should have to show that there was a statistically significant rise in cases since the initial ruling to be able to reinstate it. Otherwise it's just theater.
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