German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on November 19 attacked the final declaration of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro for not plainly stating that Russia was responsible for the war in Ukraine.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy -- speaking nearly 11,000 kilometers away in Kyiv -- agreed with those sentiments, he also suggested criticism toward Berlin for not providing Taurus long-range cruise missiles to strike deeper inside Russia as it battles against the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion.
Scholz told the gathered leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin has bombed Ukraine for "1,000 days in which people have had to suffer for the blind megalomania, for the intention to simply expand his country by force."
SEE ALSO: RFE/RL Reveals Chilling New Details Of Bucha Massacre As Ukraine Marks 1,000 Days Of War"It will be insufficient if these 20 [nations] cannot find clear words on Russia's responsibility in this matter. I would have liked to have seen something different," the chancellor said at the end of the summit of the 20 leading industrialized nations and emerging economies.
But Scholz also restated his decision not to send long-range German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, saying Germany is Kyiv’s largest supporter in Europe and will remain so but that it was important "to do everything we do with prudence."
"In my view, supplying cruise missiles would be a mistake for many reasons," he added, including the danger that it would bring Germany closer to direct conflict with Russia.
SEE ALSO: Could U.S. Long-Range Missiles Tip The Balance In The Ukraine War?According to multiple U.S. media reports, the United States has granted Ukraine permission after months of pleading to use ATACMS long-range cruise missiles to strike deeper inside Russia. The White House has not denied the widespread reports, but it also has not confirmed them.
Meanwhile, Zelenskiy, speaking at a Kyiv news conference, also blasted the G20 leader for failing to act after Putin signed a decree easing Russia’s benchmarks for using nuclear weapons.
"Today, G20 countries are sitting in Brazil. Did they say something? Nothing," Zelenskiy told reporters, adding that they failed to develop a "strong strategy."
Following a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Kyiv, Zelenskiy also said that "I think after statements about nuclear weapons, it is also time for Germany to support corresponding decisions," referring to the reports of the U.S. decision to allow use of long-range missiles.