Ukrainian presidential adviser Mychajlo Podoljak expresses hope for faster and more extensive military support from Germany. “You can’t fight with promises, they don’t help on the battlefield,” he told Der Spiegel.
Commenting on the expected visit to Kiev by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Podoljak said he hoped “that when the leaders come here, they will feel the war.” Of course, the fighting was taking place in eastern Ukraine, but the war was felt more in Kiev than in any other European capital, the adviser to President Volodymyr Selenskyj said. Because the fighting is becoming more intense, Ukraine is talking so much about heavy weapons right now, he said. The Russians have artillery with much longer range, he said, and that needs to be balanced.
“We cannot afford to lose 100, 150 or 200 soldiers a day. It’s a depressing picture, and that’s why we look with hope to our partners.” Ukraine cannot afford to lose the war and make territorial concessions, he said. If Russia does not lose, he said, it will constantly hover over Europe as a threat and blackmail it.
“That is why we say: Weapons are not a self-target of Ukraine. We want to stop the Russians and throw them back to the border. For us, it is important in principle that a leading European nation like Germany decides for itself in principle: Yes, Ukraine must be helped with weapons.” On Twitter, Podoljak had declared huge needs: 1,000 howitzers, 300 rocket launchers, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles, 1,000 drones.
To this he said, “This is dry, rigorous math. Russia uses even slightly more weapons than we have declared. These are numbers for guidance. If it gets less, also good. If it gets more, even better.”