Ukraine pleads with Berlin to send warships and missiles to deter Russia

Ukraine has begged Germany for weapons to deter an attack by Russia, stepping up pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz who has so-far resisted calls to provide military assistance despite warnings Putin is about to invade.

Andriy Melnyk, Kiev’s ambassador to Berlin, said on Wednesday that Ukraine wants German warships to help defend against Russian attacks on its coasts in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, and anti-aircraft systems to prevent attacks from the air.

It comes after Scholz, who has been accused of ‘weakening’ Europe and NATO’s response to Russia with his soft stance, on Tuesday rejected the idea of supplying even defensive weapons to Kiev – citing a long-standing German policy. 

That is despite other countries sending military aid, with Great Britain on Tuesday supplying Ukraine with anti-tank missiles in an attempt to deter Russian aggression. 

Ukraine has pleaded with Germany to send warships to help defend its coastline in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, fearing a Russian invasion is imminent (file image)

Ukraine has pleaded with Germany to send warships to help defend its coastline in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, fearing a Russian invasion is imminent (file image)

Kiev also wants German anti-aircraft systems deployed on its soil to dissuade Putin from launching aerial attacks (file image)

Kiev also wants German anti-aircraft systems deployed on its soil to dissuade Putin from launching aerial attacks (file image)

‘It’s primarily about German warships, which are among the best in the world, which we urgently need for the robust defense of the long coast in the Black and Azov Seas,’ ambassador Melnyk told German media.

‘There is the same huge demand for the most modern air defense systems, which are currently being produced by German armaments companies.’

Germany justifies its stance towards Russia by arguing it owes an historical debt to Moscow due to atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis against the Soviets during the Second World War.

Ambassador Andriy Melnyk said Germany's reasoning- that it owes an historical debt over the Second World War - doesn't make sense

Ambassador Andriy Melnyk said Germany’s reasoning- that it owes an historical debt over the Second World War – doesn’t make sense

It justifies the ban on exporting lethal weapons along the same lines.

But such reasoning is failing to wash with Kiev, which points out the Nazis also occupied large parts of eastern Europe – including Ukraine – during the war and perpetrated some of their worst atrocities there.

‘It’s astonishing that in Berlin the question of historical responsibility is used as an argument for rejecting military aid,’ Melnyk added.

‘This responsibility should apply to the Ukrainian people, who lost at least eight million lives during the German Nazi occupation of Ukraine.’ 

Scholz, who took the job from Angela Merkel last month, has found himself in the firing line by trying to maintain his predecessor’s warm relations with Moscow even in the face of increasing threats from Moscow to its neighbours.

He has repeatedly denied requests to supply arms to Ukraine, and has given evasive answers when asked whether the Nord Steam 2 gas pipe from Russia to Germany could be targeted in the event of an attack.

That led academics and foreign policy experts to write an open letter at the weekend condemning his position and calling for a tougher stance, and has opened up a rift in his fledgling coalition government with ministers pushing him to go further.

In an attempt to quell the pressure, Scholz on Tuesday hinted that Nord Stream could be the target of sanctions by saying that ‘everything’ would be on the table in the event of an invasion – ignoring an opportunity to single out the pipe.   

British weapons including anti-tank missiles have arrived in Ukraine

British weapons including anti-tank missiles have arrived in Ukraine

Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirms it has received a shipment of 'light anti-tank weapons' provided by the UK

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry confirms it has received a shipment of ‘light anti-tank weapons’ provided by the UK

As the Bundestag continues to oppose involvement, flightpath tracking data shows how British aircraft are avoiding German airspace en route to ferrying anti-armour weaponry to Ukraine 

British weapons flown to Ukraine are understood to include shoulder-fired missiles, such as the AT4 84mm anti-armour system which is widely used by Nato members.

In eastern Ukraine – the region most likely to see conflict between British-trained troops and Russian soldiers – the weapon could destroy advancing tanks and combat vehicles, helicopters and aircraft flying at low altitude.

UK defence chiefs fear Putin will opt for the ‘nightmare scenario’ of a full invasion of Ukraine as tensions rise towards tipping point,. 

The White House warned yesterday the situation was ‘extremely dangerous’ and that Moscow could launch an attack ‘at any point’. 

It had been thought Putin would choose the ‘simple option’ of sending troops into the Donbass region in south-eastern Ukraine and then negotiate for it to become an independent state, providing a buffer between pro-western Ukraine and Russia.

As the region is already occupied by pro-Russian separatists, and has been in a state of war since 2014, it was believed it would offer little resistance.

But the latest intelligence now has Ministry of Defence chiefs worried about a much larger incursion, raising fears of warfare engulfing cities and high civilian death tolls.

They believe Mr Putin’s troops are being positioned in line with his new objective, with armoured divisions set to head into neighbouring Belarus on exercise but now stationed within striking distance of Kiev.

Last night a senior defence source said: ‘We strongly believe [Putin’s] preference is for a full invasion rather than a limited offensive. In a sense he might as well go for as much of Ukraine as he can get hold of because the penalties are just the same. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured during a meeting at the Kremlin on Tuesday) has 100,000 troops and military hardware along Ukraine border, say security analysts

Olaf Scholz, Germany's new Chancellor, has been accused of weakening NATO, the EU and his own country with a soft stance towards Russia even as Putin gears up to invade Ukraine

Olaf Scholz, Germany’s new Chancellor, has been accused of weakening NATO, the EU and his own country with a soft stance towards Russia even as Putin gears up to invade Ukraine

The UK's Ministry of Defence fears Putin will inflict large-scale warfare engulfing cities and high civilian death tolls (Pictured: A convoy of Russian armoured vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022)

The UK’s Ministry of Defence fears Putin will inflict large-scale warfare engulfing cities and high civilian death tolls (Pictured: A convoy of Russian armoured vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022)

The White House warned yesterday that the situation was 'extremely dangerous' (Pictured: Anatoliy, a Ukrainian soldier with the 56th Brigade, in a trench on the front line on January 18, 2022 in Pisky, Ukraine)

The White House warned yesterday that the situation was ‘extremely dangerous’ (Pictured: Anatoliy, a Ukrainian soldier with the 56th Brigade, in a trench on the front line on January 18, 2022 in Pisky, Ukraine)

‘Also, if he just occupies the eastern regions he will never be able to take back the whole of Ukraine because of the inevitable strengthening of Ukrainian forces in the remainder of the country in the aftermath.

‘It is the nightmare scenario.’

Putin is aware that as Ukraine does not belong to Nato, there will be no military response by Western states. 

Similarly, the economic sanctions threatened by the US and the UK apply regardless of the scale of such action. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday before holding talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday in the latest attempt to defuse the crisis. 

source: dailymail.co.uk