German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday at an international conference in Berlin, attended by Vladimir Zelensky, guaranteed that there would be “neither a military victory nor a peace dictated” by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine.
“Promoting this awareness is what is at stake at this weekend’s peace summit in Switzerland,” Scholz said flanked by the Ukrainian president, adding that allies would support Ukraine “as long as necessary.”
Opening the conference, Scholz called on Western allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense, which is desperately needed in the face of Russian bombing.
“What the Ukrainian army needs most now is ammunition and weapons, in particular for air defense,” said the German Chancellor, emphasizing that Berlin has decided to supply Ukraine with the third Patriot air defense system and the Iris-TSLM air defense system. , tanks with weapons. Anti-aircraft, missile and artillery ammunition “Gepard”.
“Because the best reconstruction is the one that does not need to be carried out at all,” the Social Democratic Chancellor emphasized, recalling that, according to World Bank (WB) estimates, reconstruction will require 500 billion dollars (about 465.200 million euros). rebuilding Ukraine over the next ten years.
“Given the size we are talking about, private capital must participate,” Scholz said, emphasizing that Ukraine’s recovery could also benefit foreign companies investing in the country.
“On the front line will be those who get involved at an early stage, who will develop and expand their economic ties with Ukraine,” he emphasized.
Zelensky arrived in Berlin on Tuesday to take part in the third International Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine and meet with Scholz, with whom he will discuss strengthening air defense and weapons production.
“I arrived in Germany to participate in the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine and hold negotiations with Chancellor Olaf Scholz,” Zelensky wrote on his X account.
Zelensky said that at the conference, which, in addition to Scholz, will be attended by several prime ministers, including Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, Lithuania’s Ingrida Simonyte, the Netherlands’ Mark Rutte and Belgium’s Alexander de Croo, the main priority regarding the attacks is to find “urgent solutions for the energy sector in the face of Russian air terror.”
The two-day meeting will also be attended by several Ukrainian ministers, from the ministries of economy and finance to foreign affairs, as well as the mayors of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko, Kharkov Igor Terekhov and Lvov Andrey Sadovyi and the head of the presidential administration. wife Elena Zelenskaya.
Among the Western partners present were the heads of diplomacy of Italy Antonio Tajani, France Stéphane Sejournet, Poland Radoslaw Sikorski and Great Britain David Cameron, as well as the special representative for economic recovery of Ukraine, Penny Pritzker.
President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Nadia Calviño, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann and President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso also visited Berlin.
In total, more than 2,000 people from 60 countries, including politicians, business people, civil society and municipalities, will take part in the conference, which follows on from one organized by Switzerland in 2022 and the UK last year. in 2025, in Italy.
According to the Ukrainian leader himself, the conference will also become a platform for a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Scholz, with whom he will discuss increasing defense assistance, strengthening Ukraine’s air defense system and joint production of weapons.
The two men will also coordinate their positions at the Peace Summit in Switzerland on the 15th and 16th, as well as the NATO summit in Washington in July.
After the meeting with Scholz, the Ukrainian head of state will also meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the leader of the Lower House of the Bundestag Berbel Bas and visit a military base where Ukrainian soldiers are trained.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.