The German chancellor confirmed at the end of a meeting with the president of Chile that Germany will not allow the war in Ukraine to become a conflict between Russia and NATO.
“We helped prevent the conflict from escalating, as it would have serious consequences for the whole world,” Olaf Scholz warned on Sunday while visiting several countries in South America.
“For example, this would lead to a war between Russia and the NATO countries. This is not going to happen, we will prevent it with all our efforts, we have succeeded so far and we will continue to do so,” he said.
The head of the German government believed that it was “supporting Ukraine”, “having a serious debate” to make the necessary decisions and not “a competition”. [para ver] who sends more weapons”.
Scholz explained that he, along with US President Joe Biden, has refused to “send troops to Ukraine” to prevent an escalation of the conflict.
In an interview with the German newspaper Tagesspiegel, also published on Sunday, the chancellor had assured that Germany will not send fighter jets to Ukraine, at a time when Kiev is asking the West for more weapons to contain the Russian invasion.
After several weeks of hesitation, Berlin decided on Wednesday to send 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other European countries to deliver similar tanks to Kiev.
At the same time, the United States decided to supply the Ukrainian army with American-made Abrams tanks.
Scholz recalled that Germany “like other countries provided support in the form of financing, humanitarian aid and arms supplies – this is its obligation”.
“No country supports Ukraine more than Germany,” the head of the German government added.
For his part, the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, promised to “contribute”. [de forma] multilateral for peace”.
The German chancellor also indicated that the war “is not only a European matter, but a challenge to the whole international order” and thanked several countries in South America, especially Chile, for supporting Ukraine.
“The democracies of the world must remain united and prevent a return to the rule of the fittest (…). Chile’s clear stance in condemning Russian aggression is important and the right thing to do,” said Scholz.
After traversing Argentina and Chile, the head of the German government will visit Brazil between today and Wednesday as part of his visit to South America to deepen political and economic ties with the region, including energy diversification, renewables , fighting the climate crisis and defending multilateralism.
Source: DN
