Ukraine/Germany – Speaking on Sunday, 6 March on the weekly political programme presented by Anne Will on the first German television channel, ARD, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba insisted on his country’s refusal to give up its sovereignty and he pointed the finger at Germany for its responsibility in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The very existence of the Ukrainian state is at stake”
“This is a war in which the very existence of the Ukrainian state is at stake [but] Russian President Putin is suffering unexpected losses”, the Ukrainian minister explained. He said that many Russian soldiers are dying in the fierce fighting, and that Ukrainian forces have managed to destroy much of the invading army’s equipment. “This will push Putin into changing his position at least a little”, he said.
“We will not give up any part of our territory and we will not give up any part of our sovereignty. We are sacrificing ourselves in this war, because we know that the future [of Europe] is at stake,
Kuleba stressed. “We will continue to fight.”
Germany has contributed to Russia’s current strength
Dmytro Kuleba also referred to Germany’s ambiguous role in relation to Russia in recent decades: “Germany also plays an important role; [the Germans] have helped to build Russia’s current position of power. We hope they will do much to stop the Russian war machine (…)
I don’t think it’s right that Germany has had large-scale defence cooperation with Russia in recent years. (…) So maybe it’s time for us to get everything we need to defend ourselves.
(…) I would like Germany to take the lead in the sanctions against Russia. (…) We hope that the German government will also support [Ukraine’s EU accession], because Ukraine belongs to Europe and Europe will be safer with Ukraine”, the minister continued, pointing to equipment from the German firm Bosch that is being used in Russian military vehicles.
“We now see the true face of Russia. (…) We are now paying the price. Our children are being killed, our cities are being razed to the ground.
This means you have to admit that you have made a mistake and you should correct it.
You have to stop Putin, because Ukraine is not his last target, believe me. ”
