'Putin is following his war agenda with grim determination and has no interest in true negotiations,' Defense Minister Boris Pistorius tells virtual meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group
Germany on Monday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having no serious interest in peace talks with Ukraine.
“Putin is following his war agenda with grim determination and has no interest in true negotiations. Putin wants to buy time with this cynical game. He believes that his military machine will prevail in the long run but he is mistaken," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in his opening address at the virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Berlin.
“Together we have to stop this (Russian) war machine by joining forces to support Ukraine with all our might. First and foremost, this urgently requires bolstering Ukrainian air defense. Germany will provide additional air defense systems and much-needed ammunition,” he added, stressing that “coordinating our support is as urgent as ever.”
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Group, comprises more than 50 nations, including NATO members and the majority of European Union members. It was formed in April 2022, following Russia's war in Ukraine, to coordinate military support for Ukraine's war with neighboring Russia.
Last week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States will provide new weapons to Ukraine, with European allies covering the costs.
"President Trump has taken an important initiative today: The US will provide Ukraine with weapons on a large scale if the European partners finance this," he said in a statement.
Merz said he and Trump had discussed this new approach multiple times in recent days and emphasized that Germany would take a "decisive role" in this initiative.
“We (Europeans) are doing this in our own interest. This will help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's bombing terror. Only in this way will the pressure on Moscow increase to finally negotiate peace,” Merz said.
“After all, we are showing that we, as security partners, are pulling together. Now we will quickly clarify the details. We are in contact with our partners to this end,” he added.
