Germany’s foreign minister on Tuesday rejected the idea of delivering weapons to Ukraine after the country’s president indicated that he would like military help from Berlin.
Germany, along with France, has led Western diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running battle between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine but efforts toward a political settlement are stalled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quoted in an interview Tuesday with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Chancellor Angela Merkel has done a lot for Ukraine.
He however added that he had hoped for more from her, particularly in the Normandy format” of four-way talks between Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.
Also, opposition Green party leader Robert Habeck during a visit to Ukraine said it is hard to deny Ukraine weapons for defense, for self-defense. His comments drew widespread criticism in Germany in an election year, not least from his own party, which has pacifist roots.
But German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas firmly rejected the idea of weapons deliveries, while highlighting Germany’s support for Ukraine in diplomacy and in bilateral aid.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, he said the conflict can only be solved by political channels, remains the guiding principle of engagement, and which won’t change.
Ukraine also strongly opposes the completion of a new Russian-built natural gas pipeline to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
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