Russia’s ambassador to Berlin, Serhii Nechaev, again criticized Germany for supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons, while the Kremlin is under pressure to end the Ukrainian counteroffensive, writes dpa.

“Supplying lethal weapons to the Ukrainian regime, which are used not only against Russian soldiers, but also against the civilian population of Donbass, is a red line that the German government should not have crossed,” Nechayev said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia. .

In an interview, the Russian ambassador referred to the “moral and historical responsibility” of Germany “for the crimes of the Nazis during the Second World War.”

In the context of the crisis in Ukraine, the German government destroyed its former good relations with Russia and undermined the process of historical reconciliation between nations, Nechaev also stated.

The Russian ambassador denied that Germany could play a mediating role in ending the conflict, calling Berlin one of the main forces behind the policy of sanctions against Russia.

The German government supplied Kyiv with military equipment and ammunition, as well as anti-aircraft tanks, but refrained from supplying fighter jets or directly supplying Ukraine with battle tanks, as Kyiv had requested.

Berlin called the history of the Second World War one of the reasons for the relatively cautious attitude towards the country of offensive and heavy weapons.

Nechayev’s statements were made in the context of the fact that Ukrainian military forces continue to advance on the territory previously occupied by the Russian army, especially in the northeast of Ukraine. As the Ukrainian counteroffensive gathers strength, there are increasing calls for Germany to deliver Leopard attack tanks directly to Kyiv.

A German government spokesman said Monday that “Germany will not be alone if this case is brought to an end.” Berlin is in close contact with its allies about what weapons to supply to Ukraine, German Deputy Secretary of the Government Christiane Hoffmann said. (Source: Agerpres)