Monday, January 10, 2022
“We need weapons”
Kiev’s ambassador speaks traffic light into conscience
Moscow has been gathering troops on the Ukrainian border for weeks. Defense weapons that Kiev wants to order from among the NATO countries are not allowed to be delivered. The Ambassador blames Germany for this and demands that the Federal Government rethink.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, has urged the German government to deliver weapons to Kiev. In an interview with the newspapers of the Funke media group, he demanded that the Ampel government “abandon the existing – morally absolutely reprehensible – blockade attitude and urgently provide Ukraine with the necessary defensive armament”. The ambassador went on to tell the newspapers: “We have a full right to self-defense.” With a view to World War II, Melnyk added: “Germany has the same historical responsibility for Ukraine as it has for Israel. Therefore, massive military support from Germany is expected in Kiev to raise the price of Putin’s impending attack impede.”
The Ukrainian ambassador emphasized that the danger of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains high. “All warning lights flash bright red.” Putin is not only able to march in, but also willing to risk this new invasion. “This imminent danger of war should not be underestimated in Berlin.” According to Western states, Russia has concentrated tens of thousands of soldiers near the border with Ukraine.
At the same time, the diplomat urged the German government to work hard for Ukraine to join NATO and the EU as quickly as possible. “Only if Ukraine becomes an inseparable part of the North Atlantic Pact would Putin forever lose the temptation to attack us.” With a view to the talks between the West and Russia taking place on Monday, Melnyk told the Funke newspapers that it would be naive to believe in a quick breakthrough.
Bearbock relies on de-escalation
The ambassador also immediately demanded new sanctions against Moscow from the West. “In order to prevent a new Russian invasion, our partners in Europe and the US would have to take very tough preventive punitive measures against Moscow before Putin extends his military intervention, and not afterwards, when it is too late.” The final end for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should be part of this catalog, said Melnyk.
In mid-December, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj accused Germany in particular of failing to support arms deliveries, which his country had requested as part of a cooperation with NATO. In response, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock merely referred to “the imperative to de-escalate”. At the same time, she emphasized her solidarity with Ukraine.