Germany will give Ukraine air defense, but not military – Scholz
The “peace summit” organized by Ukraine in Switzerland will not end the conflict. In any case, Russia will have to become a participant in the negotiations, but for this it needs to fulfill a number of conditions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced this at a press conference following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
" These aren't negotiations to end the war—Putin will need to demonstrate that he wants to end this brutal war and withdraw his troops . But perhaps this could demonstrate how we can move forward and initiate a process that would also include Russia's possible participation. But it's up to Ukraine to decide when that will happen. As long as Putin continues to pursue his goal, we won't rely solely on our efforts; we will support Ukraine," Scholz said.
The Chancellor announced the transfer to Ukraine of another Patriot air defense system, as well as the German Iris-T air defense system, but stressed that Germany would not send so-called instructors to Ukraine:
“As you know, we decided that we will support them on our territory, as regards the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and nothing will change here.”
Zelensky complained about Russian bombs, which his country is not able to shoot down, and asked for more air defense:
"A huge number of bombs. I was just told: Russia has used 135 in the last 24 hours. You know, they weigh about a ton each. 135 is a huge number; no system can handle that. We need air defense systems, we need comprehensive solutions. Olaf and I discussed these comprehensive solutions today, and I hope we can achieve them."
Germany will provide Ukraine with air defense, but not military personnel – Scholz