BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Ukraine Monday for a surprise visit during which he is set to announce arms deliveries worth hundreds of millions, due to arrive in Kyiv before year-end.
“I would like to make clear, here on the ground, that Germany will remain Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe,” Scholz said in a statement. “In my meeting with [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, I will announce further arms worth €650 million, which are to be delivered before the end of December.”
While Scholz has repeatedly stressed that Germany is among Ukraine’s top military supporters, the center-left politician has also been campaigning on his refusal to send long-range missiles to Kyiv, depicting the decision as evidence of his “prudence” ahead of the snap German election in February.
Scholz has over recent months been pushing for a second conference on peace in Ukraine which would include Russia. An initial peace summit, which Moscow wasn’t invited to, was held in Switzerland in June.
Zelenskyy criticized Scholz last month for undermining efforts to isolate Russian leader Vladimir Putin after the latter two spoke on the phone for the first time in nearly two years.
Scholz and Zelenskyy will address reporters in a joint press conference later on Monday.
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