Ukraine requests 12,000 anti-tank missiles from Germany
On Monday, February 14, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin has asked him to provide his country with heavy combat weapons.
As the Chancellor visited Ukraine, the German ambassador to Berlin called on Olaf Schulz to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons. Andrey Melnik told German television Bild that his country needs 12,000 anti-tank missiles and thousands of anti-aircraft missiles to defend itself against a possible Russian attack.
According to the latest reports from American officials, Russia currently has 130,000 troops stationed on the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin has denied any intention to invade Ukrainian territory and said it feels threatened by NATO, which is why it has deployed its troops on the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine continues to protest Germany's policy of not sending weapons to the country. The German chancellor's visit to Kiev on Monday and Moscow on Tuesday is the "last chance" to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis, the country's ambassador to Berlin told Bild television on Sunday night (February 13).
"We feel that a war is becoming more and more inevitable," Andrey Melnik stressed, adding that his government was preparing for the worst-case scenario: that the capital could be bombed in the coming days.
The Ukrainian ambassador, noting that Russia has more aircraft and ships than Ukraine, said: "We are easy prey for President Putin there."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock also warned of a “dangerous situation” in an interview with German national television on Sunday night. However, she stressed that there were “no signs” yet that a military conflict was imminent.
According to Ms. Berbock, Olaf Schulz wants to discuss the disarmament process and greater transparency on both sides in Kiev and Moscow. "We will do everything we can to keep Russia at the negotiating table," she stressed.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold talks with leaders of northern European and Baltic states about the Ukraine crisis in the coming days. His spokesman said: "There is still room for de-escalation and diplomacy."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited US President Joe Biden to Kiev. "I am convinced that your visit to Kiev in the coming days will be a strong signal and will help stabilize the situation," Zelensky told Biden in a phone call on Sunday night, according to the Ukrainian presidential office.
The US government has repeatedly stated in recent days that Russia could attack Ukraine “at any moment.” American media outlets, citing the country’s intelligence agency, the CIA, reported that Russia’s attack on Ukraine would take place in the middle of this week.
The Ukrainian president has called the publication of this news a cause of panic among the people of his country.
Source: DW
