Christoph Heusgen, the head of the Munich Security Conference and a long-time adviser to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel on foreign policy issues, spoke out against drawing “red lines” in the provision of military aid to Ukraine. He is convinced that one should be guided exclusively by military necessity, so the supply of fighter jets should also be considered.
He stated this in interview DW.
Heusgen urged to pay attention to what is necessary.
Military experts say that a war like this requires a combination of several types of weapons. We need tanks, we need artillery, but we also need fighter jets, both to protect the airspace and to reach targets that cannot be reached by artillery,” he emphasized, commenting on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s evasive statements about the possible supply of aviation to Ukraine.
Scholz has repeatedly stated that these supplies are not on the agenda.
The head of the Munich Conference recognized the presence of a certain fatigue from the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine in Western society. However, he immediately emphasized that in order to overcome the signs of Western fatigue, it is necessary to show “leadership”. He also echoed the conviction of many European leaders that Putin and the Russians pose a danger to all of Europe, not just Ukraine.
Therefore, according to him, you need to be firm and continue to support Ukraine.
In addition, the chairman of the conference is concerned about the fact that “in many countries the Russian-Chinese narrative” about the war dominates. However, even hesitant countries, he said, do not want authoritarian regimes to play a major role in world politics. Heusgen said that the majority in these countries wanted “the liberal international order to remain the basic principle for them.”
It should be noted that earlier Christoph Heusgen advocated the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine to protect against Russian aggression.
Also, the co-chair of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Zaskia Esken, commenting on the issue of aircraft supplies to Ukraine, noted that Germany’s decisions should not lead to an escalation of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, while Berlin is negotiating with its allies regarding all supplies to Kyiv.
At most, the representative of the Christian Democratic Union in Germany, Johan Wadeful, expressed his belief that the possible supply of fighter jets to Ukraine could be of decisive importance for the outcome of the war.
Already on January 30, while traveling to the Netherlands, French President Emmanuel Macron did not avoid a question about the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine, noting that “in principle, nothing is prohibited.”
It also became known that the United States of America, despite previous statements, may allow third countries to transfer American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Probably, Kyiv will receive planes from Denmark or the Netherlands.
It became known that discussions are currently ongoing regarding the provision of modern fighter jets to Ukraine, despite fears that this could lead to an escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw is ready to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets if NATO partners collectively decide to do so.
- Representatives of the Russian authorities were not invited to the annual conference held in Munich (Germany) – the Munich Security Conference.
- Ukraine will now push for fourth-generation Western fighter jets, such as the US F-16, after securing the supply of tanks, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister said.
- Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, said Ukraine would “wait and see” whether its allies would agree to the country’s request to send fighter jets, after Poland’s president noted that a possible agreement would have to be a “joint decision”.
