BERLIN (Reuters) – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he considered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's sometimes harsh criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to be unjustified, news wire DPA reported.
While Germany has been a crucial ally of Ukraine, its reluctance to supply long-range Taurus cruise missiles is a source of frustration in Kiev, which is battling an enemy armed with a powerful arsenal of long-range weapons.
“I have often told Zelenskiy that he should stop criticizing Olaf Scholz, because I think that is unfair,” DPA quoted Rutte in an interview on Monday.
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Rutte also said that, unlike Scholz, he would supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles and would not set limits on their use.
“In general, we know that such capabilities are very important for Ukraine,” Rutte said, adding that it was not up to him to decide what allies should provide.
Following Scholz's phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in November, Zelenskiy said it had opened a Pandora's box that undermined efforts to isolate the Russian leader and end the war in Ukraine with a “fair peace.”
(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
