BERLIN, May 1. /TASS/. A petition to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, requesting him not to supply heavy weaponry to Ukraine, gathered more than 77,000 signatures as of late April 30, according to the change.org website.
About 30 culture and art figures, including journalists, musicians and actors, have sent an open letter to Scholz, asking him not to supply heavy weaponry to Kiev. The full text was published by the Emma magazine.
The signatories ask the German premier not to send heavy weaponry to the Ukrainian military, because this can eventually trigger the third world war. At the same time, they declare support to the premier’s efforts aimed at preventing the events in Ukraine from evolving into a new global conflict.
"That is why we hope that you will recollect your initial stance and will not supply any more heavy weapons to Ukraine, directly or indirectly. On the contrary, we urge you to do your best to achieve a soonest ceasefire: [we are calling] for a compromise acceptable for both sides," the letter says.
Authors of the petition believe that by supplying heavy weaponry to Ukraine in large amounts, Germany may eventually find itself embroiled in the conflict, including if Article Five of the NATO Collective Security Treaty is triggered. In this case, a new world war may begin, the letter says.
The German parliament voted on Thursday to support a document, calling upon the government to increase military aid to Kiev and to "intensify and expedite German supplies of <…> heavy weapons and sophisticated systems in coordination with partners."
Up until now, Scholz has demonstrated a very cautious approach to supplying heavy weaponry to Ukraine, and found himself under huge pressure for his reluctance to do so. In his interview to Spiegel on April 22, he vowed to do everything within his power to prevent NATO from becoming embroiled in the Ukrainian conflict.