After a dramatic escalation of the Ukraine crisis in recent days, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to travel to Kiev on Monday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, news agency MIA reports.
In purely formal terms, it is his inaugural visit as chancellor some two months after being sworn in. But the short visit to the Ukrainian capital will be dominated by rising tensions with Russia and the latest warnings of war from the US.
“Ukraine can be sure that we will show the necessary solidarity, as we have in the past,” Scholz said on Sunday before his departure.
The chancellor is expected to pledge further economic support to Ukraine in Kiev. Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in 2014, almost €2 billion ($2.3 billion dollars) have already flowed into the country from Germany.
Ukraine also wants weapons from Germany to be able to defend itself against Russia in an emergency. Scholz does not want to supply them. However, the German government has offered Ukraine the prospect of non-lethal armaments.
Among other things, Ukraine has asked for mine-clearing equipment, tracking devices and radios. After his visit to Kiev, Scholz is expected to return to Berlin for a few hours on Monday evening. Early on Tuesday morning, he then plans to head to Moscow, where he is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
