Ambassador Makeiev asks Germany to speed up military aid for Ukraine
Oleksii Makeiev (Photo:REUTERS/Michele Tantussi)
Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Oleksii Makeiev, in an Oct. 29 interview with German Bild, urges Germany to speed up military support for Ukraine to fight against Russia.
Having been asked about what he would request from the Federal Government, he answered: "Just more speed."
“When I look at Germany’s actions amid this war, I sometimes think: There’s a German sports car driving along the autobahn at 20 mph. Instead of delivering quickly, which would help in the fight against the Russians, they spend weeks explaining why the Ukrainian demands could not be met,” the diplomat claimed.
He said it could last for weeks and even months, so it's "almost too late" by the time Berlin finally agrees to help.
"It happened with armored vehicles, artillery, and missile systems. You could do so much more, so much faster," Makeiev added.
The ambassador claimed, as the German government has been repeatedly told, Ukraine needs tanks and long-range artillery to oust the Russians. The ammunition left since the Soviet times wouldn't be helpful, but German weapons "save lives."
"In my own words, I like German wild animals, especially cheetahs (Leopard) and marten (Marders)," Makeiev said, bearing in mind tanks and infantry fighting vehicles Olaf Scholz refuses to provide Ukraine even despite calls in the Bundestag.
Scholz explained his position about transferring weapons to Ukraine with coalition decisions, as Lars Klingbeil said the government coalition had unanimously agreed not to supply the Leopard 2 because it would take a long time to train Ukrainian tank crews. One more reason to refuse to provide Ukraine with military aid was the Germans’ attitude that wasn't in favor of arms deliveries.
On Oct. 16, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said air defense systems are top priority for Ukraine right now, while tanks are "a secondary question."
On Oct. 11, the first out of the four IRIS-T air defense systems Germany is to deliver was reported to have arrived in Ukraine. The remaining equipment is expected to be shipped as soon as possible.
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