“Betrayal of Friends”
Klitschko makes serious accusations against Germany
1/24/2022 7:36 am
Kyiv’s Mayor Klitschko misses support from Germany in the Ukraine conflict. The most important country in Europe is betraying its friends. At the same time he calls for a ban on lobbying for former Chancellor Schröder.
The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, has expressed his disappointment with Germany’s adherence to the controversial Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline and the ban on arms supplies to Ukraine. “This is failure to provide assistance and betrayal of friends in a dramatic situation in which our country is threatened by Russian troops from several borders,” Klitschko wrote in a guest article for the “Bild” newspaper.
Ukraine had recently asked Germany several times for arms deliveries. Berlin had repeatedly rejected this. With regard to Nord Stream 2, representatives of the federal government, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, recently emphasized that in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, all possible sanctions would be up for discussion.
Klitschko also called for a ban on lobbying for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. “Clear signals are now needed from the most important country in Europe,” wrote Klitschko. “Germany should ensure that lobbyists like former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder are forbidden by law from continuing to work for the Russian regime. Those would be sanctions that would really hurt many.” Schröder is the head of the Nord Stream supervisory board. At Nord Stream 2 he is Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks. The West therefore fears a major Russian attack on the neighboring country. Moscow denies any invasion plans. The United States recently ordered the families of US diplomats in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev to leave the country. The reason for this is the “continued threat of a Russian military operation”. Despite the tense situation, the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin said it did not intend to withdraw personnel from Ukraine. The security situation is being monitored “very carefully,” it said.