The partnership between Russia and Germany has ended, now both countries are on different sides of the barricades.
President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a keynote address to the German people. In it, in particular, he mentioned the risks of Russian aggression against Ukraine and spoke clearly about the president of the aggressor country Vladimir Putin.
Steinmeier called on Germans to unite and stand together and prove that German citizens are capable of withstanding the harshest times and persevering in a period of severe crises.
The German president, who recently visited Ukraine, called Russia's invasion a “brutal war of aggression” that destroyed European security architecture.
“On February 24, Putin didn't just break the rules and end the game. He dropped the chessboard on the floor! In his imperial madness, the Russian president violated international law, called borders into question, and began seizing territories. With its attack on Ukraine, Russia nullified all the lessons the world learned from the two world wars,” he said.
Steinmeier is convinced that world security is deteriorating, there is a struggle for dominance, and China wants to increase its economic and political influence. And “the peace dividend has been spent.”
“This struggle will shape international relations in the near future. The world is on the way to a phase of confrontation, although it depends more than ever on cooperation. Climate change, loss of species, pandemics, hunger and migration – none of this can be solved without readiness for international cooperation,” he emphasized.
Germany is making every effort to find diplomatic solutions, Steinmeier added. But good will is not enough in the face of evil, he added. After all, according to him, the “vile and inhumane Russian attacks of the last eight months” cannot be called otherwise.
At the same time, peace should not be concluded at the price of territorial concessions to Ukraine, the politician emphasized. “For many people in Ukraine, handing them over for ransom to the Russian occupiers would mean the victory of evil,” the German president noted. According to him, “Germany cannot remain inactive, therefore sanctions, despite the great costs, should have been introduced by the EU”.
Addressing the residents of eastern lands who have been under Russian occupation, Steinmeier noted that “now when looking at Russia, there is no room for romance, our countries are facing each other today.” The statement about the termination of the partnership between the two countries comes from Steinmeier's mouth for the first time.
Speaking to the citizens of Germany, Steinmeier emphasized that Germany is facing “difficult years”, but the way out of the crisis is obvious.
“For two years, we want to say that we have overcome the economic recession. We want to say in five years: not only Ukraine defended its sovereignty, we also should not be afraid of new wars in Europe. We want to say in ten years: we kept society from falling apart, and the majority kept faith in democracy. We want to say in 15 years: despite the war and the crisis, we guaranteed a good life on our planet for future generations,” concluded the German president.
Read also: Steinmeier on his visit to Ukraine: “Everything is much scarier, than they imagine in Germany”
Let us remind you that on October 25, Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. During the visit, the President of Germany had to take shelter due to an air raid.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba discussed military affairs with Steinmeier assistance to our country, political and financial cooperation. For his part, the President of Germany promised that Germany will soon hand over two more MARS MLRS and four howitzers to Ukraine.
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According to the results of the visit, Steinmeier came to the conclusion that “the situation in Ukraine is much more dire than it is imagined in Germany”. Svatove-Kreminna highway in Luhansk region Ukrainian soldiers continue to advance in the east. The occupiers are turning the captured territories into an exclusion zone – Zelenskyi The invaders are taking away doctors, medical equipment and ambulances, closing medical facilities. Ukraine is already preparing the visit of the head of the British government – ambassador Zelensky invited Rishi Sunak to Ukraine. The frontline feels that Russia may need a new wave of mobilization – Zelensky In particular, the president noted the low level of training of the mobilized and how rudely the Russian Federation uses them in battles . Training on NASAMS systems for the Ukrainian military continues – Pentagon The systems will be handed over to Ukraine in the near future.
