The head of the German Foreign Ministry defended the supply of arms to Ukraine and stressed that Putin refused to negotiate even on issues of international humanitarian law.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock called for the continuation of arms supplies to Ukraine to support it in its fight against Russian aggression. He criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech in Berlin on the occasion of the Open Day of the Federal Government on Sunday, August 21, quoted by dpa.
According to Burbock, Putin refused to negotiate even on general issues such as cooperation in the field of international humanitarian law, and also refused to accept other countries as mediators to resolve the conflict. So the minister answered the question of one of the meeting attendees about what the German authorities are doing to help end Russia’s war against Ukraine through diplomatic rather than military means.
Since it is currently impossible to end the war through negotiations, Burbock said, Germany “has a choice: either nothing, or we say that we support (Ukraine – Ed.) militarily to prevent the further advance of Russian.” In the current situation, he considers military support for the Ukrainians the only way Germany can go, “no matter how terrible it is.”
According to Burbock, the alternative in this situation is to “just leave millions of people to their fate,” and Germany cannot “accept such responsibility.”
Helping Ukraine is not a competition
The German government is doing the same “as other countries” in terms of supporting Ukraine – this is how Burbock answered the audience’s question about the effectiveness of measures to help the Ukrainian authorities. The politician noted that the Federal Republic of Germany provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons from the warehouses of the Bundeswehr, but pointed out that the aid of the countries should not be considered as a competition in who and how much to give to Ukraine good or ineffective weapons.
According to Burbock, democracies should try to support Ukraine collectively, as “this is about protecting human life.” The German government is trying to do everything possible for this, while not crossing the line after which the country will become a participant in the war.
Berlin slowed deliveries
According to Die Welt newspaper, the German government has been ignoring Ukraine’s requests for additional arms supplies in recent months. Over the past ten weeks, Ukrainian diplomats have repeatedly raised the issue of arms supplies to the German Ministry of Defense, but the Ministry of Defense, as well as the Federal Chancellor’s office, have put these demands on back burner.
At the same time, Burbock said earlier that Germany does not exclude the failure of the current “circular” delivery of tanks to Ukraine, where weapons are provided to the country by other EU members in exchange for subsequent supply of analogues from Germany. “If this path is wrong, then we should reflect on the situation and see how we can actively contribute in other ways,” Burbock said. In a war situation, it is not immediately clear which path is ideal, he said.
It will be remembered that the German government will acquire 225 Vulcano missiles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the EU.
Earlier, the Bundestag said that the supply of arms to Kyiv was being blocked by Scholz’s office. The chancellor’s office is the “bottleneck” through which German military aid slows down.
Source: DW
Source: korrespondent
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