Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for more arms supplies from the West to shorten the war. He criticized Germany – Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes direct deliveries of battle tanks. He didn’t want Berlin to go it alone, as he explained on Saturday. However, Germany will supply other weapons – in two and a half years.
“It is too early to talk about the end of the war,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Reuters news agency. “This war depends only on arms stocks. Speeding up aid to Ukraine will accelerate our victory,” he said. Germany apparently has a “psychological barrier” to arms supply. However, modern German weapons would “fight for the truth, fight against Russian fascism” in Ukraine.
“Arsenal” full of prisoners
Zelenskyi also reported in the interview that Ukraine has captured “hundreds” of Russian soldiers during the offensive in the Kharkiv region. In this way the “arsenal” for a prisoner exchange with Russia was “filled”.
While German Chancellor Olaf Scholz again refused the desired tank deliveries on Saturday, the German government approved the export of 18 howitzers from the weapons company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). A report from “Welt am Sonntag” on the deal worth 216 million euros was confirmed by a government spokesman on Saturday. However, the howitzers can be delivered in two and a half years at the earliest. The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, was nevertheless pleased. “This will make an important contribution to massively bolstering the effectiveness of the Ukrainian military,” he told the newspaper.
“Guns really make the difference”
Meanwhile, Rob Bauer, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee – the alliance’s highest military authority – emphasized the importance of Western military aid to Ukraine’s recent war victories. “The ammunition, equipment and training that the Allies and other nations provide are really making a difference on the battlefield,” the Dutchman said on Saturday in the Estonian capital Tallinn, where the committee made up of the chiefs of staff of the 30 Allied countries on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya, a close associate of Pope Francis came under fire. Curia cardinal Konrad Krajewski handed out relief supplies when shots were fired, the Vatican News news portal reported. The group had to take cover. “For the first time in my life, I didn’t know where to run,” said Krajewski, the Vatican chaplain responsible for relief efforts. The group was unharmed and Krajewski was able to continue his mission. The cardinal is accompanied by a Catholic and a Protestant bishop.
Breathe a sigh of relief at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant
There was good news from the nearby Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhya. As the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA announced on Saturday, one of the power lines of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been repaired and is back in operation. The other three 750 kilovolt lines were out of service. The power supply is needed for the safety-critical cooling of the plant, as all six reactors have been shut down and the plant no longer produces electricity itself.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
