Germany's Scholz criticizes 'public competition' to send arms to Ukraine

Weekly German cabinet meeting in Berlin
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Christian Mang

BERLIN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday criticized the public competition among some countries over who can deliver more and better weapons to Ukraine, saying it harmed unity among allies.

"We preserve and strengthen this cohesion by first preparing decisions confidentially - and only then communicating them," Scholz told the Bundestag lower house of parliament according to a manuscript of his speech, citing his cooperation with U.S. President Joe Biden on the decision to supply tanks to Ukraine.

"What harms our unity is a public competition to outdo each other along the lines of: battle tanks, submarines, aircraft - who is asking for more?" he added.

Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Miranda Murray Editing by Paul Carrel

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