BERLIN, December 4. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after his December 2 visit to Kiev that he would not allow Ukraine to attack deep into Russia and would not supply the country with Taurus missiles.
"I will continue to do everything to prevent an escalation, a war between Russia and NATO," he said during a session in parliament. "That is why I believe that my decisions remain correct: we will not allow strikes deep into Russia with dangerous weapons that we have supplied. This includes cruise missiles," Scholz emphasized. He also urged the allies to "remain calm" while making decisions on support for Kiev.
At the same time, he reiterated that Germany will continue to support Ukraine. "It is important that Ukraine knows from all of us, including me, that we will continue to support it," the chancellor said.
On Monday, Scholz made his first unannounced visit to Kiev in two years. The German chancellor wrote on his X page that he would personally inform Vladimir Zelensky about Berlin’s plans to supply Ukraine with 650 million euros' worth of weapons in December. The latest package is said to include IRIS-T surface-to-air systems, Leopard 1 tanks, and reconnaissance and attack drones.
Germany is the second largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the US. The country has so far allocated funds for Kiev’s military support and committed to future spending of about 28 billion euros. Under the 2025 budget agreement, Berlin will allocate four billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine, half of the current year’s allocation. The Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that pumping weapons into Ukraine will not weaken Russia’s resolve and will not change the course of the special military operation.