Heavy weapons?

Melnyk reprimands "taillight" Germany - he announces clear text between Selenskyj and Scholz

Created: 04/23/2022, 04:50

By: Patrick Mayer

Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany: Andriy Melnyk.

© Fabian Sommer/dpa

Despite a no from Berlin: the Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk renewed the demand for heavy weapon systems in the Bundeswehr.

And he judges Germany's attitude harshly.

Munich/Kyiv - Olaf Scholz (SPD) is coming under massive pressure in the Ukraine conflict.

In the meantime, his leadership style as chancellor has also been criticized: "Olaf Scholz leads too little.

We don't have a chancellor who gives orientation - neither for the German nor for the European debate," said the EPP parliamentary group leader in the EU Parliament, Manfred Weber (CSU), the

: "The federal government is currently giving a picture that is devastating for German leadership in Europe and damages Germany’s reputation.”

Russia-Ukraine War: Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under pressure from all sides

While criticism of the traffic light government is growing, the former head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, has now urgently warned Germany about its hesitant reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, the international mood turned against D a long time ago.

We have to get out of this trap quickly," wrote the former high-ranking diplomat and ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington and London on the short message service Twitter.

Previously, the

, the

and

had unanimously reported that the federal government had refused the Bundeswehr's delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

The modern Leopard 2 battle tank, the Marder infantry fighting vehicle and the self-propelled artillery gun Panzerhaubitze 2000 were on Kiev's so-called wish list. But Scholz and his cabinet cut costs.

Russia-Ukraine War: Germany refused delivery of heavy weapons to Kyiv - an overview

• The heavy Bundeswehr weapons that Ukraine requested from Germany:

• Panzerhaubitze 2000, self-propelled armored artillery piece rejected by the federal government

• Leopard 2, main battle tank, rejected by the federal government

• Marder, infantry fighting vehicle for armored infantry and infantry, rejected by the federal government

• Puma, infantry fighting vehicle for Panzergrenadiers and infantry, rejected by the federal government

• Fuchs, armored personnel carrier, rejected by the federal government 

The Ukraine wanted to buy the heavy artillery piece "Panzerhaubitze 2000" from Germany - but the federal government refused.

© IMAGO / Björn Trotsky

Russia-Ukraine War: Ambassador Andriy Melnyk Renews Demand for Heavy Weapons

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, renewed the demand for the delivery of heavy weapons from Bundeswehr stocks.

When asked about financial aid for the purchase of armaments, he explained in an interview with the

: "That is not at all the strong military support that we are hoping for from Berlin.

The problem is that there are no heavy weapons on this sanitized list.

So it's not clear to us how we should actually spend the additional billion euros, which are thankfully made available for weapon purchases.

Money alone does not bring much.

We are also running out of time.

I can't understand why Germany always makes the right decisions at the bottom."

I can't understand why Germany always makes the right decision at the bottom.

Ukraine Ambassador Andriy Melnyk in conversation with the SWP

Ukraine will now be another talk between the Chancellor and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

to organize.

“They urgently need to clarify what we can actually buy now.

My hope is that the money can primarily be used for heavy weapons, which we need most urgently now that the Russian major offensive is in full swing," Melnyk told the

: "I will continue to press for the Bundeswehr gives us even more weapon systems from their stocks.”

In the video: Compact - The news about the Russia-Ukraine war

Chancellor Scholz rejected exactly that at the same time - once again.

Together with the German armaments industry, the federal government had “created a list of military equipment that can be delivered quickly and discussed it with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

As before, defensive weapons and mortars for artillery battles, ”explained the North German in an interview with the news magazine

He reiterated the strategy of a "ring swap" with eastern NATO allies.

In the short term, weapons from former Soviet stocks, which Ukrainians are well acquainted with, make the most sense, Scholz explained.

For example, Slovenia is to deliver Kyiv T72 tanks and receive Marder armored personnel carriers and Fuchs transport tanks from Germany as compensation.