April 22, 2022 08:32 GMT
Scholz-Arsenal 'Exhausted', Unable To Provide Ukraine w/Extra Weapons
GERMANY
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Reuters reporting comments from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding the war in Ukraine.
- Scholz: "Our army's options for supplying Ukraine with further weapons from its arsenal are largely exhausted"
- Scholz: "Avoiding escalation towards NATO is a top priority for me...I do not thing it is justified for Germany and NATO to be come warring parties in Ukraine".
- Scholz's comments are likely to draw a rebuke from Ukraine and disappointment from Russia hawks in the NATO alliance. Following initial enthusiasm from Scholz towards providing major assistance to Ukraine and bolstering its own armed forces (EUR100bn of new investment into German defence announced very shortly after the Russian invasion begain), the chancellor has turned more lukewarm on providing additional assistance to Ukraine.
- This is not only leading to some veiled criticism from officials in other NATO countries, but exposing cracks in the German governing coalition. Scholz's Social Democrats have historically had closer links with Russia than other major German parties. The junior partners in the coalition (environmentalist Greens, liberal Free Democrats) have advocated for more military support for Ukraine, harsher sanctions on Russia.
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