Berlin — German Foreign Minister on Tuesday rejected the idea of delivering weapons to Ukraine after the country’s president showed that he wanted military aid from Berlin.
Germany, along with France, has led Western diplomatic efforts to resolve long-standing disputes between Kiev and Russian-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. However, efforts towards a political solution have come to a standstill.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Prime Minister Angela Merkel had done a lot for Ukraine, saying, “Of course, especially in Normandy format. I wanted her to do more. ” Between Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.
“Germany can do more,” he said, pointing out a recent comment by opposition Green Party leader Robert Habeck during his visit to Ukraine.
“From my point of view, it is difficult to deny Ukrainian weapons for defense and for self-defense,” Hrbek said. His comments were widely criticized in Germany during the year of the election, especially by his own party with pacifist roots.
“Germany hasn’t given us military aid, but it’s possible,” Zelensky said. “Germany has great ships: speedboats, missile speedboats, patrol boats.”
German Foreign Minister Mars stubbornly rejected the idea of delivering weapons, emphasizing Germany’s support for Ukraine in diplomatic and bilateral aid.
“I’m convinced that the dispute can only be resolved by political channels, which should be clear to everyone involved,” he told reporters in Berlin. “This is a guide to our involvement and will not change. Weapon delivery does not help with this.”
Ukraine is also strongly opposed to the completion of a new Russian-made natural gas pipeline to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
The Nord Stream 2 project is also opposed by Habeck’s Greens and the United States, but the Biden administration will not punish the company that oversees the project while announcing new sanctions on Russian companies and ships last month. I have selected. This move has eased long-term stimulus in German-US relations.
The German Funke newspaper group reported on Tuesday that a German delegation, including two Chancellor Merkel advisers, visited Washington this week for talks expected to include pipeline issues.
Mr Mars said Germany has revealed that it is “interested in finding a common path.”
“It will now be the subject of discussions in Washington, and I’m sure we’ll succeed in finding a way,” he said. “This is certainly not an easy task, and it may not be overnight, but we look forward to dialogue with Washington officials as in the past and will continue to do so. . “