German Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to stand on the position that it will not loosen the rules on the use of German weapons in Ukraine's battle against Russia, despite Kiev's requests, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The government has taken "several decisions” about military support for Ukraine, "which are extremely clear”, Scholz said in New York, shortly before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He specified that this includes restrictions that prevent Ukraine from launching missiles deep into Russian territory.
"This is not compatible with my personal position... We will not do this. And we have good reasons for that,”, said Scholz, who is in the US for the high-level week of the UN General Assembly.
Zelensky is urging Western allies to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets far beyond the front lines, including Russian logistics centers and military bases.
The longest-range weapon supplied by Germany is the MARS II missile launcher, which can hit targets at a distance of 84 km.
Berlin has allowed Kiev to use the missile launcher for a limited area of Russian territory near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The powerful 2000 howitzer, which has a range of 56 kilometers, can also be used to defend Kharkiv.
Scholz has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of supplying long-range precision weapons to Ukraine, regardless of the decisions taken by some NATO member states.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in the early hours of today that he had spoken with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about Japan's energy aid to Kiev, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
"Restoring our energy supplies after the Russian shelling and preparing for winter are the tasks we are actively working on at the moment," Zelensky said in a post on the "Telegram" application. "We discussed the situation in the energy sector with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida," he added.
Zelensky and Kishida are in the US for the meetings of the UN General Assembly. The Ukrainian leader is also expected to present his "plan for victory" before the US leadership.
Japan is one of several countries sending aid to Ukraine, including $4.5 billion this year, after Russia invades in 2022, according to the Japanese foreign ministry website.
Tokyo has provided equipment to Kiev for restoration work and to increase the capacity of Ukraine's energy system to cope with winter demand amid ongoing Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Ukraine's power shortage could reach around a third of expected peak consumption amid attacks and the expiration of a gas supply contract at the end of this year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report from last week.