German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadefuhl Photo: Lisi Niesner/ Reuters
Europe and the United States should act consistently in their military support for Ukraine, as this will increase the chances that Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to negotiations.
This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadefuhl in an interview with Spiegel.
“The more consistent the West is with Moscow, the more likely it is that Putin will agree to talks. This means that we should also not weaken our military support for Ukraine: we must continue to help Kyiv. The Europeans are determined, but our actions will be more effective if we coordinate closely with the United States. If we do that, Putin will be ready for talks very quickly,” Vadefoul said.
When asked whether he was ready to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the German Foreign Minister said that “in his position, we cannot rule out negotiations with anyone”.
As for the threats to Ukraine due to the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, Vadeful admitted: “It worries me. But we do not forget about Ukraine”.
Meanwhile, Major General Christian Freuding, Chief of Staff for Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defence, said in a TV interview that he “does not see any direct military connection” between the conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, Russia received drones from Iran in the early years of the war, but now produces them in large quantities and no longer depends on supplies from Tehran.
Freuding also stressed the need to continue and strengthen military support for Ukraine.
