Russia demanded an explanation on Friday after German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said Europe was at war with Russia, and Berlin and Paris later rejected Moscow’s accusations that new military equipment shipments to Ukraine signaled its involvement in the conflict, reports Agerpres.

The Kremlin condemned the “direct participation” of the West in the conflict, promising to supply Ukraine with German and American tanks.

In addition, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova demanded an explanation from the German ambassador in Moscow on Friday regarding, in her opinion, Berlin’s “contradictory” statements, DPA reports.

Zakharova stated that, on the one hand, Germany has stated that it is not part of the conflict in Ukraine, but on the other hand, the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Berbock, has stated that European countries are at war with Russia.

“They themselves understand what they are talking about?” Zakharova wrote in Telegram.

The head of German diplomacy made frank statements about Europe’s war against Russia

Burbock called for solidarity among Western allies in a statement made Tuesday at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

“We are waging a war against Russia, not between us,” said the head of German diplomacy, DPA and AFP reported.

State media in Russia immediately took advantage of this and used this statement as a key phrase in a propaganda war as proof that Germany and other EU countries are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine and are fighting against Russia.

The German government constantly denies that it is part of the war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz answered a question from the public television channel ZDF whether Germany and its allies are in any way participating in the war by supplying Ukraine with tanks, which they have just decided to do.

“No, definitely not. There should not be a war between Russia and NATO,” he said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin also clarified Burbock’s statements, stressing that Germany “is not a party to the conflict.”

Russia is increasingly criticizing Germany for using heavy weapons against Russian soldiers for the first time since World War II after agreeing to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks, Reuters writes.

New tanks promised to Ukraine by western chancellors

For its part, France’s foreign ministry said Thursday that neither France nor any of its partners are at war with Russia, AFP reported.

“We answer very clearly that we are not at war with Russia, and none of our partners are at war,” French foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said at a press conference.

“Supply of military equipment within the framework of legitimate defense (…) is not a co-military activity. We reject these Kremlin statements,” she said. French President Emmanuel Macron announced on January 4 that France will send AMX-10 RC light armored vehicles to Ukraine to help in the war against Russia.

In fact, several Western offices insisted on the defensive nature of these tanks, in their view, to appease Moscow.

These supplies and military aid are part of the “commitment of the countries of the world, led by the USA, to help Ukraine protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity (…). This is not an attack on Russia,” US President Joe Biden said.

On Wednesday, Germany agreed to send Leopard 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine, the decision is expected especially by Norway and Poland, which immediately announced that they were sending such armored vehicles to Kyiv. The USA, in turn, announced that it would deliver 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Poland also announced on Friday that it would send 60 more tanks to Ukrainian forces, in addition to the more than 200 Soviet-made vehicles already delivered last year and 14 Leopard main battle tanks promised on January 11.

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