Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Zelensky hoping to receive military aid from Germany
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko believes that President Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping to receive military assistance from Germany.
“Of course! It’s not my personal opinion. Only a few countries in the world are providing military support to Ukraine. Germany is one of the most powerful arms exporters in the world, despite its peaceful foreign policy. We need those weapons too. However, every time our firms try to sign contracts with German enterprises, those agreements fall through at the last moment for invisible, probably political reasons. We hope that this will change in future. Simply analyze where Germany is exporting arms to. Why not to us? We are, perhaps not an ideal, but a fully democratic country, which has been forced to defend itself. One can’t overlook this,” Prystaiko told Bild in an interview, which was published on the Foreign Ministry website.
The minister also remarked that the only guarantee of Ukraine’s survival is foreign support, international pressure, and international sanctions.
“I am the minister of foreign affairs, while he (the president) has to worry about all of Ukraine. Frankly speaking, the issues relating to the war in eastern Ukraine aren’t exactly a portfolio for diplomacy. At the same time, since the only guarantee of our survival is foreign support, international pressure and international sanctions, as the minister of foreign affairs, I am deeply involved in this process. I know our friends and I know our enemies in the world and, consequently, I try to give the president the optimal advice. I show him ways which, in my opinion, will help us out of the crisis,” Prystaiko added.
At the end of December last year, Prystaiko said that Germany had refused to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but expressed hope that Berlin would reconsider its decision.
Germany previously allocated €1 million to the Council of Europe’s Plan of Action for Ukraine. In May last year, Germany gave Ukraine €82 million worth of technical and financial aid.