Zelenskyy urges Scholz to send aid, support war crimes probe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted that he used the call to urge Scholz to support efforts to track down those behind war crimes perpetuated by Russian forces in Ukraine, reported dpa.

He said both men agreed that all war criminals needed to be identified and punished.

"We spoke about anti-Russian sanctions, defence and financial support for Ukraine," wrote Zelenskyy, as he highlighted his efforts to keep up international support for his country more than six weeks after the start of a Russian invasion.

A Scholz spokesperson later said that the chancellor has condemned the "atrocious war crimes by the Russian military" in the Kiev suburb of Bucha and elsewhere in the country. Scholz also vowed full German solidarity with and support for Ukraine.

Scholz agreed that every effort had to be made to track down those responsible for the war crimes, said spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann.

Kiev has seen a flow of visiting dignitaries in the last few days, now that the fighting seems to have moved towards the country's east, most notably in the form of a surprise visit on Saturday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Johnson's visit came on the same day as a visit by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and just a day after a visit by key EU officials.

Zelenskyy said he kept up his call for support and lobbied Scholz to seek a ban on Russian oil imports, a stance that Germany has not yet fully embraced. He said that doing so would rob Russia of vital finance, even though Moscow insists it has sufficient reserves.

The call for Scholz to head to Ukraine was echoed by Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk.

"I think it could be a strong signal, should the federal chancellor travel to Kiev," the envoy told dpa. But he added that Scholz should not show up empty-handed.

"It would be of central importance that the visit by Chancellor Scholz would be accompanied by new strategic decisions from the German coalition government."

That would mean weapons deliveries, with Melnyk specifically demanding tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, armoured howitzers and artillery radar systems.

"According to our analyses, this would all be manageable for the federal republic, without weakening its domestic defences or damaging its responsibilities to NATO," Melnky told dpa.

"We know there are at least 78 Leopard tanks that are not being used by the Bundeswehr at the moment and, thus, could rapidly be delivered," he said. He also noted that Ukraine has a new offer for production of 100 such tanks, but noted construction and delivery will take a while.

Another request was for AGM-84 Harpoon rockets, which could be critical for protecting a city like Odessa from marine attack. He also pointed out that Germany's stores of these rockets will soon be replaced, hinting that Berlin could spare them.

Johnson promised armoured vehicles and anti-ship missiles for Ukraine during his visit on Saturday.

During a meeting with Johnson on Friday, Scholz had said that any announcement of a trip to Kiev would probably come only at the last minute as he was leaving. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also said on Friday that he is eyeing a trip to Kiev.

Melnyk said that Ukraine would prefer a visit by the chancellor or other high-ranking government members "who can make concrete decisions about further massive support for Ukraine."