German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated on Monday (November 18) that there are reports suggesting a Chinese factory is producing military drones for Russia. He will discuss the delivery of dual-use items between military and civilian sectors with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit.
According to Reuters, in September, a European intelligence agency released a report revealing that Russia has devised a weapons program with China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the conflict in Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union has repeatedly urged all countries, including China, not to provide material or other support to Russia.
On Monday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the Chinese drone assistance to Russia “will certainly have consequences.”
When asked if he agrees with his foreign minister’s views and whether he will discuss this issue with Xi Jinping, Scholz expressed that he has always warned against providing lethal weapons to Russia. He mentioned that the negotiations with Xi Jinping will touch upon the topic of dual-use items.
He said, “I have been dealing with the issue of so-called dual-use items because there are different approaches, but we absolutely cannot be naive.” He added that he would tell Xi Jinping that deploying North Korean soldiers in the war against Ukraine is unacceptable, calling it a “terrible development.”
Regarding the decision by the United States to authorize Ukraine to conduct long-range airstrikes on Russia, he stated that Germany will not follow suit and will not provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles.
He mentioned that deployment of Taurus missiles is only possible if Germany shares the target control responsibility, which would effectively make Germany a party to the conflict, something he cannot and does not want to do.
He further stated, “At the same time, we are well aware that the powerful weapons we have provided so far cannot be used to penetrate deep into Russia.” He pointed out that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, he has exempted the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv from such measures because attacks on the city come from the nearby Russian border.