Today at 17:24
February 7, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Kyiv and held talks with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The latter has revealed the details of the meeting on his Twitter.
“I want to be very clear: we will do everything to prevent the escalation. We have planned a series of tough measures against Russia. These sanctions are unprecedented, we have coordinated them with all partners. We are also ready to bear a high economic price, because we are talking about the security of Ukraine,” Annalena Baerbock stated during her briefing.
Read also: Germany’s Scholz perceives positive progress in deescalating Ukraine-Russia relations
“It was a frank conversation. Our positions really differ here, but our task with Annalena is not to quarrel but to look for common ground and solutions. And I think that today we have found common ground and a draft decision. Now let’s wait for the step of the German government,” Kuleba noted. He also added that Baerbock did not force Ukraine to make concessions on the issue of resolving the Donbas conflict.
The parties stated that they did not focus on “what Germany cannot do for one reason or another, but rather on the issues Germany can do to support Ukraine in the field of defense and security.”
Ukraine has sent an official request to the German government for support in the form of “defensive” weapons, according to a newspaper report. A number of NATO allies – the US, the UK, and the Baltic states – have supported Ukraine by sending arms to Kyiv. Official Berlin has clearly articulated it would not follow suit. Berlin has offered 5,000 protective helmets and assures it favors a diplomatic solution though. On Ferbuary 7, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid an official visit to Washington to coordinate policies with President Biden on deterring Russian full-fledged invasion.
Read also: Czech, Austrian, Slovakian MFA heads start their two-day visit to Ukraine
