Germany will do everything in its power to guarantee Ukraine’s security, German Foreign Minister Annalen Burbock said on Monday, visiting Ukraine for the first time since taking office.
“We will do everything in our power to guarantee Ukraine’s security. We will do everything in our power to guarantee Europe’s security,” she told a news conference after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleb.
Ukraine’s foreign minister told reporters the two countries were “committed to resolving the conflict through diplomacy.”
“Our common goal is effective work in the Normandy format and a summit of Normandy format leaders,” he added.
At the same time, Kuleba reiterated Ukraine’s desire to receive weapons from the West. In December, Kiev accused Berlin of blocking the supply of NATO weapons.
“Our dialogue with Germany on this issue is ongoing,” he said.
Burbok’s visit to Kiev comes at a time when efforts are being made to resume talks in the so-called Normandy format between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine with a view to easing the tensions in the conflict in Ukraine.
Burbok’s first meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected in Moscow on Tuesday.
Prior to the meeting, Lavrov announced that it would be “an in-depth exchange of views on current international issues, first of all on the implementation of Russia’s proposals on security guarantees”.
At a news conference on Monday, Lavrov said Russia was waiting for “concrete answers” to security demands.
He added that “the Russian leadership is able to protect its interests in guaranteeing both security and the rights of Russian citizens.”
Western countries are accusing Russia of deploying tanks, artillery and some 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s eastern border. NATO points to possible invasion planning.
Russia denies any plans to attack a neighboring country and accuses NATO of increasing its presence in areas that Russia considers its sphere of influence. Moscow strongly opposes NATO enlargement.
During his visit to Madrid, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “we expect clear steps from Russia to de-escalate the situation”.
“Military aggression against Ukraine would have serious political and economic consequences,” he warned in a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
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