Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been paid millions of dollars by Western allies to fight a nearly three-year war of defense against Russian aggression, has developed a habit of biting the hand that feeds him, the NATO secretary general said.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was appointed this year as the new secretary-general of the NATO alliance, accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of giving “severe criticism” for not providing enough aid to his most generous supporters. , publicly – albeit gently – reprimanded. “I have often told President Zelenskiy that he should stop criticizing Olaf Scholz because I think it is unfair,” Rutte said in an interview with German news agency DPA.
This comment is said to be in reference to Germany's refusal to donate its latest Taurus missile to Ukraine. The Taurus missile is similar to a long-range bunker buster, but is said to be slightly more capable than the British and French Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles, which have already been donated to Ukraine. , state reuter.
Ukraine also had harsh words for the recent telephone conversation between the German Chancellor and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying any negotiations with Russia would undermine peace.
In a conversation with German media, NATO chief Rutte said that if he were in Chancellor Scholz's position, he would personally have agreed to give Taurus to Ukraine, but that such weapons would not be available in Kiev. He said it was “very important” to war strategy, but still said it was not his thing. When called, he would not tell NATO members what to do with the donations.
Discussions over the Taurus missile have been going on in Germany and abroad for months, with Berlin refusing to send the weapon because it risks escalating the conflict further. The missile has the range to strike deep into Russia, and because it follows subterranean contours and terrain from pre-loaded mapping data, it is susceptible to jamming from GPS interference that can plague other weapons. means low.
Scholz said this in March: “Taurus, which has a range of 500 km, could hit certain targets in Moscow if used incorrectly…I have said clearly from the beginning that there are no German or NATO troops in Ukraine…We do not want to escalate. “Preventing the War Between Russia and NATO”.
Rutte's comments on Monday were not the first time the Ukrainian government's lack of gratitude to billions of dollars in gratitude has made headlines, but it does suggest that his hard-line approach to soliciting donations in a war for survival is intentional. There is no doubt that it was adopted. As reported last year, Ukraine summoned the Polish ambassador after a Warsaw government official said, “Ukraine really receives great support from Poland.
“I think it’s worth it for them to start recognizing the role that Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years…Ukraine should start appreciating what Poland has done for Ukraine. is.”
Ukraine dismissed the statement as having no basis in fact. A few months earlier, then-British Defense Minister Ben Wallace also advised Ukraine to show more gratitude to its sponsors. President Zelenskiy himself responded with a sarcastic retort, which Ukraine's ambassador to the UK denounced as unhelpful. The ambassador was quickly dismissed by Kiev for publicly opposing the president.
