The West must maintain support for Kiev to prevent Russia from winning, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reads during a break of the weekly meeting of the German cabinet at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany on February 7, 2024. © STEFANIE LOOS / AFP
Ukraine’s ability to fight Russia could soon be compromised, despite the flow of Western-made arms and munitions into the country, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned.
In an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday, Scholz stressed that Western countries must continue to support Kiev, arguing that failing to do so would not only have disastrous consequences for Ukraine, but would also “dramatically change the face of Europe.”
“Despite our support, Ukraine could soon face serious shortages in arms and ammunition,” he said, noting that some Western financial commitments have already expired and many others need to be extended.
Scholz claimed that the West has “to do [its] utmost to prevent Russia from winning… If we don’t, we might soon wake up in a world even more unstable, threatening and unpredictable than it was during the Cold War.”
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To achieve this goal, Western countries should sustain their military support for Kiev, while convincing voters that helping Ukraine is a just cause, Scholz said. They should also ensure that the collective defense of NATO is credible, he added.
The chancellor reiterated, however, that “we don’t see ourselves at war with Russia and don’t seek confrontation with Russia.”
Officials in Kiev have acknowledged serious issues with ammunition, while top EU diplomat Joseph Borrell has admitted that by March, the bloc will provide Ukraine with only half of the 1 million shells promised in early 2023.
Scholz’s comments also come in the wake of Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive last year that failed to gain any ground despite massive Western military support. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Ukraine lost 215,000 troops and 28,000 pieces of military equipment in 2023 alone.
Russia has condemned the arms shipments to Ukraine, warning that they will only prolong the conflict while making the West a direct participant in the hostilities.
