Berlin.
Ukraine is now demanding fighter jets. The West must not deliver, otherwise it will cross the red line. Kyiv needs realism.
It comes as no surprise irritating it is anyway: No sooner have Germany and its NATO partners committed battle tanks to Ukraine than the government in Kyiv presents new demands. President Zelenskyj is now also demanding the deployment of combat aircraft.
the Leopard tank are “only a first step”, seconded Deputy Foreign Minister Melnyk: He is pushing Europe and the USA to form a “fighter jet coalition” for Eurofighters, Tornados and American F-35 bombers, and is also ordering submarines and warships, everything please faster than before. This reaction does the Ukrainian leadership a disservice. It seems to confirm all those skeptics who warn of a slide in arms shipments.
Germany helps more than any other country on the continent, but Kyiv still wants more. You can Despair understand the Ukraine well, which in its struggle for survival is fighting back the Russian attackers and is dependent on Western support. From the Ukrainian point of view, gradually drawing us into the war with Russia is a legitimate goal.
But it is just as legitimate for Germany and its partners to set clear boundaries for engagement. Our interests are not identical: Germany and NATO are not allowed to war party the danger of a third world war is far too great.
Ukraine Crisis – The most important news about the war
Why the West would cross a red line with the delivery of fighter jets
With the delivery of main battle tanks, this limit is not exceeded, even if the Kremlin propaganda now claiming otherwise. The Ukraine needs the main battle tanks to stop the expected Russian spring offensive, to avert a defeat and perhaps also to push back the occupiers from some areas.
There is much to suggest that this will soon turn into a military stalemate that could pave the way for ceasefire negotiations. However, providing fighter jets would be something completely different, a big step over the red line: it is about offensive weapons, which would reach deep into Russia’s territory, including Moscow. Because of the complex supply chain from handover, maintenance to technical support, an active participation of NATO soldiers could hardly be concealed.
local secret services warn since the beginning of the war that the Kremlin could see the deployment of fighter jets as a threat and escalation that makes a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO more likely.
Germany must formulate its goal for arms aid
It’s a good thing that Chancellor Scholz has clearly rejected the demand. It has to stay that way. But it’s not enough: the federal government can’t wait long before answering what exactly Germany’s goal is gun help should be for Ukraine. How should the war be ended? That the Ukraine Almost all military experts consider it hopeless to defeat the nuclear power Russia in the near future, from all areas including Crimea, as Zelenskyy proclaims – unless the West gives up all caution and makes its entire arsenal of weapons available against Russia.
Because that would have to be an option, sooner or later there will be no way to one negotiated solution to end the war. Painful concessions by Ukraine can then hardly be avoided. Selenskyj’s new demands are an attempt to resist this insight for a moment. That’s understandable. We’re not allowed to support it.
Ukraine war – background and explanations for the conflict
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