Scholz seeks to avoid "speculation" over Ukraine’s use of Western weapons against targets on Russian soil

Partners should strengthen military support for Ukraine in view of the battlefield situation, but the question of use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory is off the table at the moment.

That’s according to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke at a joint press conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro in Berlin on May 24, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The situation of Ukraine is far from idle. Therefore, we must make every effort to continue and strengthen military support for Ukraine. First of all, we are talking about air defense systems and the restoration of the badly damaged energy infrastructure," Scholz said.

When asked to comment on the discussions in NATO regarding the possibility of allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use Western weapons for strikes on military targets on the territory of Russia, the head of government said he saw no sense in speculating on the topic of such proposals.

"From my point of view, it is much more important to remember that we have clear rules..." he emphasized, without elaborating, but obviously referring to the principle of not allowing NATO countries to be drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia.

The German Chancellor thanked Portugal for the support it provides to Ukraine.

PM Luis Montenegro, in turn, emphasized that "this war has bad prospects for Europe and the world", therefore Portugal provides political, economic, humanitarian, and military support to Ukraine in proportion to its capabilities.

He also noted that for its own security, Portugal plans to increase defense spending to the target of 2% of GDP by 2030.

As reported, Olaf Scholz has refused to agree to the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine for more than a year, citing fears that these weapons could be used against targets in Russia or require the involvement of Bundeswehr servicemen on the ground.