Germany's Scholz joins with Nordic countries to urge Europe to boost Ukraine aid

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Europe to ramp up its military aid to Ukraine, particularly air defence systems, as Kyiv struggles to repel a fierce Russian offensive in the northeast, per France24.

Russia on May 13 pummelled more than 30 towns and villages in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region after launching a surprise ground offensive over the border last week, as Kyiv struggles with Western aid delays.

Germany announced it would send a third Patriot air defence system to Ukraine in April – a decision Scholz said was difficult because they do not have many of the systems.

"But it was important to do that and we hope that some other European countries can follow," he said during a security and competitiveness summit in Sweden with prime ministers of the five Nordic countries.

Ukraine needs "a lot of munitions, artillery tanks and air defence, and especially Patriot and the Iris-T system from Germany, which will be most helpful," Scholz said.

"We will support Ukraine as long as it takes," he stressed.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, whose country has also been a major donor to Ukraine, echoed Scholz's call.

"The main reason for the losses in Ukraine right now is because of the lack of air defence, and we have the systems. So if we have only one wish... it should be to deliver air defence systems as quickly as possible," she said.

"We have to speed up, we have to scale up in a short-term perspective," she said.

Ukraine "cannot win it on their own... they have to do it with equipment from us."

The Nordic countries and Germany have been among Ukraine's biggest donors since Russia's February 2022 invasion.

Berlin is the world's second-biggest donor to Ukraine, giving 14.5 billion euros so far, according to the Kiel Institute.