German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for the continued supply of weapons to Ukraine to support it in the fight against Russian aggression. She criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin during a speech in Berlin on the occasion of the Federal Government’s Open Day on Sunday, August 21, quoted by the dpa.

According to Burbock, Putin refuses to negotiate even on general issues such as cooperation in the field of international humanitarian law, and he also refuses to accept other countries as mediators to resolve the conflict. Thus, the minister responded to a question from one of the meeting’s participants about what the German authorities are doing to help end Russia’s war against Ukraine through diplomatic rather than military means.

As it is currently impossible to reach an end to the war through negotiations, noted Burbock, Germany “has a choice: either we do nothing or we say we support (Ukraine. – Ed.) militarily to stop the Russians’ advance: “In the current situation, she considers military support to the Ukrainians to be the only way Germany can go”, as terrible as it is.

According to Burbock, the alternative in this situation “would simply be to leave millions of people to their fate”, and Germany cannot “assume that responsibility”.

Helping Ukraine is not a competition

The German government is doing the same “as other countries” in terms of supporting Ukraine – this is how Burbock responded to the public’s question about the effectiveness of measures to help the Ukrainian authorities. The politician noted that the Federal Republic of Germany supplied the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons from Bundeswehr warehouses, but stressed that countries’ assistance should not be considered a competition in who and how much will supply Ukraine with goods or services with ineffective weapons.

According to Burbock, democracies should try to support Ukraine together, as “it’s about protecting human life.” The German government is trying to do everything possible for this, without crossing the line after which the country will become a participant in the war.

Berlin slowed down with deliveries

According to the newspaper Die Welt, the German government has been ignoring Ukraine’s requests for more arms supplies in recent months. Over the past ten weeks, Ukrainian diplomats have repeatedly raised the issue of arms supplies to the German Defense Ministry, but the Defense Ministry, as well as the Federal Chancellor’s office, have put these requests on the back burner.

At the same time, Burbock previously said that Germany does not exclude the failure of current “circular” deliveries of tanks to Ukraine, through which weapons were supplied to the country by other EU members in exchange for subsequent supplies of analogues from Germany. “If that path was wrong, we should reflect on the situation and see how we can actively contribute in other ways,” Burbock said. In a war situation, it’s not immediately clear which path is ideal, she noted.