German chancellery defends record on sending arms to Ukraine

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman has defended Berlin’s record on delivering arms to Ukraine after the vice chancellor said he was “deeply ashamed” that it took Germany so long to shift its position. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck was a rare prewar advocate of providing Kyiv with weapons. He took a business delegation to Ukraine earlier this week. Habeck called for the delivery of “defensive weapons” to Ukraine after he visited the country in 2021. His comment drew widespread criticism at the time, even within his own party. A video clip of his Monday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed Habeck saying, “We changed our position, but it took too long and was too late.”