11:00 08/02/2022
Germany will do everything possible to avoid a further escalation with Russia, the German Foreign Minister promised in Kiev. According to her, in the meantime, no less than the peace in Europe is at risk.
During a visit to Kiev, the German Foreign Minister, against the backdrop of Germany's refusal to supply arms to Ukraine, tried to avoid doubts about Germany's solidarity. "We will do everything to prevent a further escalation", promised the environmentalist politician.
Germany is "unequivocally for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine." Meanwhile, no less than peace in Europe is at risk. In this dangerous situation, our greatest strength is our unity", emphasized Baerbock. Germany's solidarity is dedicated to Ukraine as a state and first of all to the people in Ukraine. "You can count on us," assured Baerbock.
"Different scenarios" have been prepared
In the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Germany and its partners have prepared "various scenarios". Germany invests e.g. in concrete projects in Ukraine, "so that the economic situation does not deteriorate". Germany also provides assistance in the field of cyber security, to prevent a "destabilization from within".
Further, Minister Baerbock underlined that "today we are in 2022 and an attack cannot be organized only militarily, but the suspicion is that even a cyber attack, interruption of supply networks, interruption of energy exports, can damage much more worse than the tanks at the border".
In case of sanctions against Russia, Germany is ready to pay a high economic price, Baerbock said, referring to the fact that Germany is the western country most closely linked economically to Russia.
Her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, thanked for solidarity by speaking diplomatically on the controversial topic of arms supplies. Regarding this issue, as you know, we have different views, he said. "Today we have found meeting points and we are waiting for a decision from the German government." He said he agrees with Baerbock that there can only be a political solution to the crisis.
Last week, Ukraine submitted a request to the German government with a list of the desired weapons. Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the German No, however. The background of this request has to do with the announcements about the march of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in the vicinity of Ukraine as well as the concern about an intervention of Russia in the neighboring country.
At the beginning of her stay in Ukraine, Minister Baerbock visited the Holodomor memorial in Kyiv. This memorial commemorates the victims of the great famine (Ukrainian: "Holodomor") in 1932 and 1933, systematically instigated by the Soviet dictator Josip Stalin, who through starvation wanted to break the resistance of Ukrainians. At that time several million people lost their lives.
An originally planned meeting of Baerbock with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not materialize. As a reason, problems with determining the schedule were mentioned. On Tuesday (08.02) Baerbock will visit the so-called contact line, which separates territories under Ukrainian control from pro-Russian separatist regions./DW
Source of information @TvKlan: Read more at: www.botasot.al
