Photo Source: Official Twitter page of German chancellor Olaf Scholz
The Hill: Germany warns against arms race as Ukraine pushes for missiles, jets
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is warning against a race to arm Ukraine with high-powered weapons as Ukraine ramps up its calls for fighter jets and long-range missiles.
Scholz engineered a breakthrough with President Biden to send modern tanks to Ukraine earlier this month, but has said fighter jets is a non-starter.
“I can only advise against entering into a constant competition to outbid each other when it comes to weapons systems,” Scholz said in an interview with German news outlet Tagesspiegel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued pleas over the weekend for long-range missiles and fighter jets as he seeks to strengthen the country’s air defense. But Germany has insisted the country will not be equipping Ukraine with the warplanes.
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WNU Editor: I understand the German Chancellor's concerns. But what I find so astounding about the recent announcements from the West to ship weapons and ammunition to Ukraine is how small it actually is, and the time to deliver them.
Case in point. The US will only be able to send Ukraine 31 Abrams tanks later this year?!?!?! You would think that with the defense budget that the US has, sending 31 tanks could be done much faster.
And then there is artillery. This conflict is primarily a war being conducted by artillery. Making promises to send Ukraine about 90,000 artillery shells is pathetically small. This is what the Russian army uses up in 5 days.
So are "high-powered" weapons the only option left. F-16s and long-range missiles that can strike deep in Crimea and Russia? It looks like the answer is yes, because there is nothing else left.