Ukraine needs new weapons to deal with a “very difficult” military situation in the east of the country, President Zelensky said Sunday evening. How to respond to this demand without putting your finger in an escalation with Moscow is squaring the circle for Westerners. From Chile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been firm: no combat planes for kyiv and in Seoul, the head of NATO is acting as kyiv’s lawyer.
Ukraine needs new weapons and faster deliveries to deal with a situation ” very difficult of constant attacks by Russian forces in the eastern region of Donetsk, President Zelensky said in a video message on Sunday. Bakhmut, Vougledar and other areas of the Donetsk region are experiencing “ constant Russian attacks “. ” Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. We must therefore make time our weapon. We need to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine. »
The question of arms deliveries to Ukraine and the nature of these arms was also raised from Santiago in Chile by the German Chancellor, currently on tour in South America.
No Berlin fighter planes
Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine, Olaf Scholz said on Sunday. After several weeks of hesitation, Berlin decided last week to send 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other European countries to supply similar armor to kyiv. But ” The question of combat aircraft does not even arise. I can only advise against getting into a constant bidding war when it comes to weapon systems “, specified the chancellor in an interview with the newspaper Tagesspiegel, from Santiago.
► Read also : Heavy tanks for Ukraine, how far will Western military commitment go?
The decision to send German tanks to Ukraine was accompanied by a similar choice by the United States to supply the Ukrainian army with American-made Abrams tanks.
While thanking Berlin and Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately called for more, including fighter planes and long-range missiles. In his interview with the TagesspiegelOlaf Scholz again warns against the “ escalation risk with Moscow. “ There is no war between NATO and Russia. We will not allow such an escalation “, he assures.
According to him, it is “necessary” to continue talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their last meeting dates back to the beginning of December.
► Read also : Aid to Ukraine, a dangerous spiral for Westerners?
Stoltenberg urges Seoul to send weapons to Ukraine
Constantly confronted with the North Korean threat, Seoul has developed a very efficient and reactive war industry – more reactive than that of the Europeans – underlines a specialist, and South Korea holds an increasingly important place in world trade. of armament. In Europe, Poland is its main customer, and Warsaw has just placed an order with Seoul for 50 combat planes and more than a thousand tanks, as well as other weapons.
But time is running out for Ukraine, pleads the NATO secretary who invites South Korea to send arms directly to kyiv, and therefore to reconsider, in the name of democracy, the policy which prohibits it from supplying conflicting states.
Jens Stoltenberg also invokes the danger that a victory for Russia would pose to the region, sending the signal that the use of force is the right way to achieve one’s ends… in a part of the world where many different territorial oppose Beijing to its neighbors. The head of NATO specifies that China is not an adversary of the organization while alerting on the risks of a dependence of its members vis-à-vis Beijing.
(and with agencies)