Boris Johnson was speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Solz after their first personal meeting in London, hours after Berlin refused to send Marder tanks to Ukraine, arguing that Germany needed them for its own defense needs. The United Kingdom will send more than 100 100 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine, including more Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and an additional 800 anti-aircraft missiles and precision-guided munitions “capable of staying in the sky until they reach their target,” he said. . The new UK package also includes helmets, night vision goggles and body armor. However, Johnson said the West would not be able to meet all the arms demands made by Ukraine because “it would not be appropriate” to supply some of this equipment to Kyiv. Asked if Britain would send its own tanks and armored vehicles to Kyiv, Johnson replied: “I am primarily willing to look at anything through defense to help the Ukrainians protect themselves and their people. “I think it is important to provide equipment that is really useful and can be used by Ukrainians, that is our reasoning,” he said. “It may be more useful to support the Ukrainians by filling in and allowing some of the countries of the former Warsaw Pact to supply some of their own armor the way you see it.” Scholz agreed with Johnson, saying allies “should always look at what can be used effectively.” “The fact is that we are trying to get weapons that are useful and can be used well; the successes that the Ukrainian army has achieved so far show that they are very effective weapons: anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft weapons, ammunition. ” Solz also said that criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron for his dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “unjustified” and added that Macron “has shown great commitment” to achieving peace in Ukraine. Russian forces have abandoned “many” tanks, vehicles and artillery in a “hurried” withdrawal from northern Ukraine, according to a Western official. “It was a very hasty withdrawal from the Russian forces and there is a lot of Russian equipment that has been abandoned in this hasty withdrawal and this will only exacerbate the challenge they face in terms of rebuilding and rebuilding their forces as they move them to both Belarus and in Russia”. They added: “Some of them are a bit vague as to why they have been abandoned, because you may have thought that some of these vehicles are still usable; and I think there is something about the collapse of morale and the collapse of the will to fight.”
Closer than ever
At the press conference, the British Prime Minister welcomed the “seismic decisions” of Germany to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, saying that sanctions against Russia “are not easy for any of us.” Scholz said the sanctions imposed so far on the Kremlin were “very effective”. He also defended Germany’s timetable for reducing its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, despite accusations that it was moving too slowly to break that dependence. “We do what we can and we do a lot. “I think it’s a very strong decision we made to move away from the use of mineral resources. This will be done in about 20 years and this will be a very difficult agenda, to make it clear,” Scholz said. Despite the ongoing EU-UK dispute over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland, Johnson said Britain’s bilateral relationship with Germany had become “even more vital” since Russia invaded Ukraine and that the United Kingdom and Germany have “exactly the same belief that Putin has to pay” for his attack. The couple discussed talks over the smooth implementation of the controversial Northern Ireland protocol, but Johnson declined to give further details on the content of their discussion or rule out suspending the deal, which is part of the Brexit divorce deal. The two leaders announced that their respective councils would hold regular meetings as part of an effort to improve their bilateral relationship, confirming a POLITICO report from September. The first meeting will take place early next year, Scholz said. “We both share our belief that our relationship is good,” Scholz said.
