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Ukraine can count on the strong support of its European partners even if a truce with Russia is established. This was stated by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius after a meeting in Rome with his colleagues from France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, Ukrinform reports .
“Europe and its allies will continue to stand by Ukraine. We will continue to support it in the future,” Pistorius assured.
According to him, even if a ceasefire is reached, it will not last forever, and the Ukrainian army must be able to quickly restore combat readiness. To this end, European allies are already preparing to provide material assistance and training to the military.
“This should not come as a surprise. We are preparing for this,” the Minister stressed.
The German defence minister also criticised the Kremlin’s position, stressing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had thwarted diplomatic efforts by refusing to personally participate in peace talks and delegating the third tier of officials to Istanbul.
“This is a clear signal: he is not interested in ending the aggression that he started. Otherwise, he would have met with Zelensky,” Pistorius said.
According to him, constructive negotiations are currently underway on what the ceasefire should look like, who can guarantee its observance and what the structure of international monitoring will be.
“We have no illusions: peace will not come overnight. But we must be prepared for every scenario – both on the first day after the ceasefire and dozens of days later,” the German minister concluded.
