German "Weasel" tanks found in Kursk, Russia, Scholz: We were not aware of the Ukrainian action in advance
2024-08-22
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German Chancellor Scholz. Visual China Photo
"Reference News" quoted Reuters on August 22 as saying that German Chancellor Scholz said on the 21st that Ukraine did not consult Berlin on its sudden attack on Kursk, Russia on August 6, and he expected that this military action would be limited in time and space.
Scholz said at a press conference after talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Chisinau that Germany was closely following further developments.
The Ukrainian army launched an attack on Russia's Kursk Oblast on the 6th of this month, and then the two sides broke out in fierce conflict in the state. According to a report by British media on August 8, after verifying relevant videos, it has been confirmed that the US "Stryker" tank and the German "Marder" tank appeared in Russia during the battle. At that time, the German side did not confirm it, but only said that Germany supported Ukraine's attack on Russia. Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, said that Ukraine has the right to use Western equipment in the operation and that the US policy has not changed. In addition, the United States was not aware of the attack before and will ask Kiev to provide more details.
Scholz also responded on the 21st that Germany was not aware of Ukraine's cross-border raid. "Ukraine's military operations in the Kursk region were prepared very secretly, without any feedback. This is of course due to the situation. In terms of space and time, this is a very limited operation."
Just before Scholz made this statement, the relationship between Germany and Ukraine was being challenged. On the one hand, some media broke the news on August 14 that the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Zaluzhny, was the culprit of the explosion of the "Nord Stream" pipeline. On August 20, local time, Dmitry Polyansky, the acting ambassador of the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, called on Germany to share its investigation into the sabotage of the "Nord Stream" pipeline. Polyansky once again expressed doubts about reports that a Ukrainian gang had sabotaged the "Nord Stream" pipeline, calling it a "plot that only Hollywood blockbusters can have."
Although Ukrainian officials later said that Ukraine had nothing to do with the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline, a senior German official familiar with the results of the investigation stated: "Such a large-scale attack is enough to trigger NATO's collective defense clause. And the country that destroyed our critical infrastructure was a country that received a large amount of weapons and billions of cash from us."
Back home, Scholz's three-way coalition has struggled to reach an agreement on a budget and plans to halve aid next year. The German government believes the funding gap will be filled by a $50 billion loan package from the Group of Seven to Ukraine.
Scholz's speech on the 21st dispelled this doubt. He said that Germany will continue to be Ukraine's biggest supporter in Europe. The G7 plan to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to provide loans is "technically demanding but politically clear" and will greatly increase support for Ukraine.
"This $50 billion, together with funds from various countries, will exceed the support Ukraine has received so far," Scholz said.
The Paper reporter Nan Boyi
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