German Foreign Minister Heiko Sisters on Tuesday effectively rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to Berlin to supply arms to Kiev in order to counter Russia’s military aggression.
During a NATO conference in Brussels, the sister expressed her conviction that the conflict in Eastern Ukraine could only be resolved at the political level, adding that this finding served as a guide for the German government.
“Arms supplies will not help that,” the German foreign minister said.
He added that since 2014, Berlin has allocated almost two billion euros to Ukraine in the framework of civilian assistance projects and that Germany, together with France, continues to support Kiev in negotiations with Moscow in the so-called Normandy format.
In an interview published in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday, Zelensky accused Berlin of not wanting to supply weapons to Ukraine.
“Germany has not provided us with any military assistance, although it could,” the Ukrainian president said, adding that torpedoes, patrol boats, assault rifles, walkie-talkies and armored personnel carriers would be useful for Ukrainians.
He emphasized that he was grateful for the support provided by Germany so far, but expected more.
Opposition German Green leader Robert Habek, who recently visited Kiev, also acknowledged that Kiev needed “defense weapons”, and Zelensky said in an interview that Habek “understands” Ukrainians.
However, Habek’s statements within the party’s own ranks have caused controversy, as the Greens have traditionally opposed any involvement of Germany in military conflicts outside the country’s borders.
A day later, Habek himself tried to soften his remarks, claiming that he had talked more about “non-lethal armaments” such as night vision devices, reconnaissance drones and medical devices.
At the same time, the German export rules do not distinguish between “defense” and “offensive” weapons.
Other German politicians have also condemned Habek’s remarks, claiming that they confirm his misunderstanding of the geopolitical reality and cast doubt on the Greens’ readiness to work in government.
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