German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that no one wanted the war in Ukraine but Putin, and that the EU would have to increase bilateral aid to our country again.
The statement was published on the website of the German Foreign Ministry.
According to Baerbock, Europe is now at a "vital stage of ensuring security and peace in Europe".
‘It is now about achieving a lasting peace for Ukraine - safe and secure from future Russian aggression. A false peace that will only give Russia a breathing space for new military campaigns will benefit no one: neither Ukraine, nor Europe, nor the United States,’ the minister said.
Baerbock urged not to let ‘recent discussions lead us astray’ and to ‘continue to keep a cool head - even in the face of the diversity of voices coming across the Atlantic’.
"Lasting peace in Europe can only be achieved together with Europe. On the other hand, a diminished role for Europe only plays into Russia's hands. That is why I advocate a certain approach to the US administration. It is not yet clear whether Putin is ready to finally put an end to his brutal war against the people of Ukraine, or whether he wants to continue it at full speed. And the fact that the Americans are meeting with Russia to restore the operational capabilities of their embassy in Moscow may be useful for future negotiations," the German Foreign Minister said.
Baerbock also said that the partners are making every effort to further strengthen Ukraine, as ‘you can only negotiate your peace - and ultimately peace in Europe - from a position of strength’.
The minister mentioned the approval of a new - 16th - package of sanctions against Russia and announced the continuation of military support for Ukraine.
"The EU is currently preparing a new major package worth a billion euros for artillery, air defence and drones,’ Baerbock said and stressed that ’no one but Putin started or wanted this war in the heart of Europe."
- The German Foreign Minister's statement came after the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, where representatives of Ukraine and the EU were not invited. Only after these talks did US Secretary of State Marco Rubio call several foreign ministers of the bloc's member states, and the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, joined the conversation.
- Bloomberg later reported that Rubio told European allies that the US would maintain sanctions against Russia at least until an agreement to end the war in Ukraine is reached.