Ukraine needs more support for its defence against the Russian offensive, particularly in the area of air defence, said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin.

He saw the EU’s decision at the beginning of the year to support Ukraine financially as a good sign. The Federal Chancellor also approved of the USA’s decision to continue to provide military support for Ukraine.

Arms deliveries: within Europe, Germany currently delivers the most weapons and ammunition to Ukraine – to a value of approx. 28 billion euros. The support includes highly effective defence systems such as Patriot batteries.

Demonstrating the unity of NATO

“It is very important that we all send out the signal that we will support Ukraine for as long as is necessary”, Scholz emphasised. The Russian war of aggression presents a danger to security in Europe. Therefore, according to Scholz, every effort must be made “to ensure that we can continue to defend the European security architecture in future.” In a joint press statement with the NATO Secretary General, he said that the principle that borders are not to be moved with violence must continue to apply.

In Scholz’ opinion, the upcoming NATO summit represents a good opportunity to demonstrate the unity of NATO states. From 9 to 11 July 2024, the member states will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the defence alliance and send out a strong signal of cohesion.

The member states demonstrated their unity and solidarity at the last NATO summit in Vilnius in 2023 when they announced bilateral partnerships with Ukraine which have now been implemented in many cases. “The focus will be on continuing to do what is necessary in this regard”, said Scholz.