German Chancellor says it is necessary to be ready to provide long-term weapons to Ukraine

"We must be prepared for the fact that this (providing weapons to Ukraine) may take a long time," Scholz said in an interview with Erste TV.

According to the Prime Minister, if the supply of weapons is short-term and ends after 3 or 6 months, Germany will not be able to "make its contribution" to supporting Ukraine in the long term. "We hope that this (conflict) will end soon," he added.

Speaking about arms supplies, Mr. Scholz also noted that not everyone in Germany supports the government's position both on this issue and on sanctions against Russia.

"Of course, there are those who are skeptical about the provision of weapons or the sanctions resolutions that we have passed. However... it is our duty to support Ukraine," he said.

According to Scholz, Ukraine has prepared "thoroughly" for the counterattack, but the German Chancellor did not give specific examples of successful operations by the Ukrainian army.

"We have additional information provided by intelligence agencies... In my opinion, Ukraine is very well prepared... Even if there is no strong breakthrough, there are many things that indicate that they are specifically looking for opportunities to push back the line," he said.

Like most Western countries, Germany has significantly increased its military aid to Ukraine after Russia launched its special military operation. Among other things, Germany has provided Kiev with 18 Leopard 2A6 tanks and 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.