Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
It’s Andreas Rinke
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, pledging that his country would remain Ukraine’s biggest supporter in Europe and pledging this month to provide 650 million euros ($683 million) in military aid.
The visit, the second since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, shows Germany’s support at an uncertain time before Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House and whether Russian forces are gaining ground.
Scholz will hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who wants to push NATO to invite Ukraine to join the force at a summit in Brussels this week.
The trip could also provide a way for the German chancellor to try to strengthen his foreign credentials, as he faces a tough battle for re-election in a snap vote in February after his coalition collapsed in November.
His record of helping Ukraine has come under scrutiny from those who want him to do more to help Kyiv and, on the other hand, from voters who want Germany to return to sending arms and aid to Ukraine.
Trumpeting Germany as Ukraine’s second-largest weapon after the United States, Scholz has repeatedly refused to send the Taurus missile to Ukraine, fearing it would draw his country into direct conflict with Russia.
He also drew fire from allies, including Zelenskiy himself, for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in nearly two years in November, which critics saw as an attempt to profit from domestic politics.
“Germany will remain the main supporter of Ukraine in Europe,” Scholz wrote on X, adding that he will announce at his meeting with Zelenskiy “some military equipment worth 650 million euros, to be delivered in December”.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE ELECTION
Support for Ukraine is seen as a major issue in Germany’s federal elections.
Friedrich Merz, the opposition leader who wants to free Scholz, said Germany should send Taurus missiles and at the weekend criticized the chancellor for threatening the issue.
No program has been published for Scholz’s visit to Ukraine, but visiting leaders often hold a press conference with Zelenskiy during the trip to Kyiv.
The visit comes a day after Antonio Costa, the new president of the European Union’s Council of the Member States, and the new EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited the Ukrainian capital on their first day to show support.
Moscow’s military has been seizing village after village in eastern Ukraine, part of a bid to retake the Donbas region, while Russian airstrikes continue to target Ukraine’s energy sector as winter sets in.
In November, outgoing administration Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use Western weapons to expand into Russian territory. Moscow responded by attacking Ukraine with a new intercontinental ballistic missile and has threatened to hit government facilities in Kyiv.
Kyiv has been demanding that Moscow withdraw all troops from its territory. It also wants Western security guarantees similar to NATO membership to prevent Russia from attacking again.
Moscow, which controls a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, wants to be recognized for its occupation of Ukraine and its neutrality.
Last week Zelenskiy floated the idea of Ukraine being granted NATO membership even as Russia seizes some occupied territory, a solution he said could end the “hot spot” of the war.
In his speech on Sunday, Zelenskiy explained that any invitation to join the alliance should be extended to all parts of Ukraine, even though the alliance’s security agreement cannot work in areas occupied by Russian forces.
($1 = 0.9496 euros)
