German Chancellor Olaf Scholz again stressed the need for more support for Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion as he departed Berlin for Washington on Thursday.
"Now is the moment when we have to do what is now necessary, namely to jointly give Ukraine the opportunity to defend itself and at the same time send a very clear signal to the Russian President (Vladimir Putin)," Scholz said.
"The signal is that he (Putin) cannot count on our support waning, it will last long enough and it will be big enough," Scholz added.
He praised Ukrainian troops for doing everything possible to defend the country, but added that they must have additional support from allies in order to keep up the fight.
"And what has been promised so far in Europe, what has also been promised by the resolutions of the American Congress, is still not enough," Scholz said. "We must find a way to do more together."
He said that Germany has "made a very large contribution" in its upcoming 2024 budget "but it will not be enough on its own if there is not enough support everywhere."
Scholz said now is also the time to discuss strengthening the NATO alliance. He said that Germany, which for decades has fallen short of military spending goals, is "now at the forefront" of trying to rebuild defence capabilities.
