NATO chief slams Zelensky’s criticism of German chancellor
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s sometimes harsh criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was misplaced.
“I’ve often told Zelensky that he should stop criticizing Scholz because I think this is unfair,” Rutte told the German Press Agency in an interview.
Rutte stressed that what Scholz did for Ukraine was impressive, adding that Scholz made sure that Germany was second only to the United States in providing military support to Ukraine, explaining that this is an achievement for which Kiev can also feel grateful.
In contrast, Rutte took a different position from Scholz regarding the Taurus cruise missiles requested by Ukraine, explaining that he supports delivering them to Ukraine as well without imposing any restrictions on their use.
“In general, we know that such capabilities are very important for Ukraine,” the former Dutch prime minister said, noting, however, that it was not up to him to decide what the allies should supply.
Zelensky recently criticized Scholz – among other things – for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone, despite his refusal to do so.
The Ukrainian president has also repeatedly expressed his lack of understanding for the German chancellor’s refusal to deliver Taurus missiles to his country.
