China News Service, February 24 (Xinhua) According to foreign media reports, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnik said in an interview on the 23rd that Berlin should cross the "red line it drew itself" and provide Kiev with "all possible" weapons. , including fighter jets and warships.
Germany has previously broken through the "red line of not providing tanks" and agreed to aid Ukraine with the "Leopard 2" main battle tank.
On the evening of February 8 local time, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Scholz at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Photo/China News Agency reporter Li Yang
In an interview with DPA, Melnik praised Berlin for making a landmark decision to "break the taboo" by pledging support for Kiev early in the Ukraine crisis.
However, Melnik stressed that Germany's initial commitment had in fact turned into a "tortuous path" as Berlin placed many obstacles in its way to supply Ukraine with weapons.
"We in Ukraine therefore call upon Chancellor (Scholz) to cross all self-drawn red lines and provide the Ukrainian armed forces with all available weapons systems," the diplomat said, adding that Kiev was expecting action from Germany's ruling coalition. A more "courageous" decision.
Melnik suggested that the new German weapons delivery to Kiev should include fighter jets, warships and submarines.
Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the Scholz government, under the pressure of the United States and other Western allies, has continuously broken Germany's cautious stance in the field of defense policy since the end of World War II and gradually increased military assistance to Ukraine.
In January of this year, the German government even broke through its "red line" and promised to provide Ukraine with a heavy weapon, the "Leopard" main battle tank.
Scholz then "drawn a new red line" on the aid to Ukraine, saying that he would not provide fighter jets to Ukraine, nor would he send ground troops.