“Ukraine can rely on Germany”

“Germany stands firmly alongside Ukraine. We say what we do and we do what we say,” stressed Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a joint press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday.

The Federal Chancellor said that everybody wanted “this brutal war to end”, adding that “nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians do”. Scholz said that this was why he had discussed with President Zelensky in detail, how Ukraine might be able to achieve a fair, just and lasting peace from a strong position.

The key facts:

• Germany is a reliable source of assistance: Scholz stressed that Germany would not let up in its support for Ukraine. “We are all aware of how heroically Ukraine has been defending itself for over a thousand days, ever since that dreadful day on 24 February 2022, when Putin started his criminal war of aggression against your country,” Scholz said. He then pointed out that in this third winter of the war, Russia continued to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure deliberately and mercilessly. Putin wanted the people to suffer from the cold, to harm Ukraine’s economy and to cause production to stagnate, Scholz said. “However, we will not allow him to succeed with his cynical plan,” he went on, saying that this was why Germany had just agreed to provide additional winter emergency aid for Ukraine.
• Comprehensive support: Federal Chancellor Scholz highlighted that after the USA, Germany was the second biggest donor of military aid for Ukraine, having made around 28 billion euros available to date. He pointed out that air defence support would remain a key concern, and that Germany had now delivered five full Iris-T SLM systems, three Patriot systems and more than 50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks including missiles, ammunition and spare parts. “A sixth Iris-T SLM system, further Patriot launchers and more Gepard anti-aircraft tanks will be delivered before the end of December,” Scholz announced, adding that further arms deliveries would take place in 2025. “What I am saying here in Kyiv today is addressed very clearly to Putin: we have great powers of endurance and we will be standing by Ukraine’s side for as long as necessary.”
• Ukraine belongs to Europe: Federal Chancellor Scholz stressed that Ukraine would consistently continue on its path towards membership in the European Union. “The new President of the European Council Costa and the EU’s new chief diplomat Kallas reinforced this promise here in Kyiv only yesterday, and they were speaking for all of us,” Scholz said, pointing out that Ukraine had made impressive progress under the most challenging of conditions. “Germany is here to provide support and guidance.”

You can read a transcript of the press conference here (in German).