German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also travel to Kiev and Moscow on February 14 and 15, after Emmanuel Macron, to help reduce tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
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After the United States, Germany will strengthen its presence near Ukraine. Berlin will send 350 additional soldiers to Lithuania as part of a NATO operation, the Minister of Defense announced on Monday 7 February.
Germany is already leading a NATO operation in Lithuania, where 500 German soldiers are deployed. Chancellor Olaf Scholz had warned on February 6 that Germany was ready to send additional troops to the Baltic countries. This announcement comes as the West accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of massing more than 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine to prepare for the invasion.
“We are thus strengthening our contribution in terms of forces on NATO’s eastern flank and sending a clear signal of determination to our allies”added the Minister, assuring that“we can count” on Germany. Olaf Scholz, has so far been criticized in Germany and abroad for a supposed complacency with regard to Moscow. He was in Washington on Monday for his first interview with US President Joe Biden. He will also meet the leaders of the Baltic states in Berlin this week and travel to Ukraine and Russia the following week, after Emmanuel Macron.