Berlin has its own position on whether to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons. And this position is different from the American one.
This was stated by German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“[The question] allows me to make it very clear and reiterate that given our own position, we have a different position on arms supply to Ukraine, but since 2014 we have helped Ukraine and supported Ukraine in building a military hospital. We furnished medical equipment. We supplied material. Also, the federal armed forces, the Bundeswehr, is lending a helping hand when it comes to medical treatment of wounded Ukrainian soldiers on the ground. And we also helped treat affected and wounded soldiers and civilians, and we flew them to Germany,” Foreign Minister Baerbock said.
At the same time, she added that the military conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine must be resolved diplomatically. They are committed to diplomacy.
“The Russian Government is aware of this position, and the only way out of this crisis is dialogue, and we agree on this: The only way out is dialogue... Because let me reiterate: There is no alternative to a political solution. This has to be clear to the Russian Government. And it is in this understanding that we, as transatlantic partners, will continue to go into the talks in the coming weeks,” the foreign minister stated.
With this, Ms. Baerbock warned Moscow that the attack on Ukraine would lead to very serious consequences.
“The common position of Europeans and the U.S. Government has been made clear on many occasions – bilaterally, but also in multilateral fora – and we reiterated this position and we jointly reiterated that Russian actions and activities come with a clear price tag, and a renewed violation of Ukrainian sovereignty by Russia would have severe consequences,” Baerbock claimed.