NATO Secretary-General Rutte said Zelensky’s criticism of Germany’s Scholz was unfair
BERLIN (Reuters) – NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he believed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s sometimes harsh criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was unjustified, dpa news agency reported.
While Germany has been a key ally to Ukraine, its hesitation in providing long-range Taurus cruise missiles has been a source of frustration for Kiev, which is battling an enemy armed with an array of powerful long-range weapons.
“I have often told Zelensky that he should stop criticizing Olaf Scholz because I think it is unfair,” Rutte was quoted as saying in an interview by the dpa news agency on Monday.
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Rutte also said that, unlike Scholz, he would provide Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine and would not set restrictions on their use.
“In general, we know that this capability is very important for Ukraine,” Rutte said, adding that it was not up to him to decide what capabilities allies should provide.
After Scholz’s phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in November, Zelensky said it had opened a Pandora’s box, undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader and end the war in Ukraine with a “fair and peaceful” one.
(Reporting by Kirsty Knoller; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
