During his visit to Kyiv on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a military aid package for Ukraine amounting to 650 million euros, which includes IRIS-T air defense systems, Leopard 1 tanks, and combat drones, approved in October. The aid is set to be delivered in December. However, Berlin is still hesitant to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles.
"Regarding specific weapon systems, we have a certain judgment on whether deployment is appropriate or not. This relates to range and the necessity of controlling target acquisition," said Olaf Scholz.
Germany is the second-largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Germany for the assistance provided but reiterated that the country lacks air defense systems to counter attacks from Russia.
"We talked about strengthening air defense... And I gave the example of how we are currently seeking to protect two dozen special sites. We are lacking, due to the intense missile strikes, simply lacking air defense systems," said Zelensky. "The issue is not with Germany. The issue is with the partners in general; there are partners who hold air defense systems."
In mid-November, Scholz became the first Western leader in many years to speak on the phone with Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky criticized Scholz's phone call with Vladimir Putin, stating that it opened a "Pandora's box."
"After one conversation, there comes a second, third, fifth conversation, because sometimes people want to take the leadership for themselves. And I believe this could lead to a sort of wave of recognition of Putin, in fact. I think this does not strengthen Ukraine. That is my opinion. But, as I said, we have much more in common with Germany than we have disagreements," Zelensky stated.