Baerbock threatens Putin from Kyiv: "Don't pretend, we see right through your tactics"
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said today in Kyiv, where she arrived as part of a high-level delegation of European officials that includes the heads of parliaments of 17 EU countries, that the United States should not be misled by what she called "delaying tactics" by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"At the upcoming NATO foreign ministers' meeting, we will make it clear to the American side that we should not accept Putin's delaying tactics," Reuters quotes a statement released after Baerbock's arrival in Kyiv.
It is noted that following the meeting in Kyiv, the NATO foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels this Thursday and Friday.
Annalena Baerbock said that since negotiations between Russia and the US have reached a "dead end", it is all the more important to unconditionally support Ukraine.
Putin, she said, “pretends to be ready for negotiations, but does not retreat from his position by a millimeter.”
It is also noted, with reference to the UK government, that a meeting of the military leadership of Ukraine, Britain and France will take place in the coming days. They will discuss "advancing the next stage of detailed planning" to strengthen Ukraine's defense.
Reuters reported earlier that France and Britain are the two countries that are definitely ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine. In the coming weeks, military personnel from these countries should arrive in Kyiv to discuss the issue, Macron promised.
The emotional boost that so invigorated Baerbock was obviously the fresh joint declaration signed by six European countries following the meeting in Madrid on their readiness to exert “further pressure on Russia” and introduce new sanctions.
The document was signed by the heads of the Foreign Ministries of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Great Britain. They stated that they are committed to political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for Ukraine.
“Many European partners, including members of this group, have made significant additional commitments to support Ukraine militarily and plan similar commitments in the future,” the statement said.
The aforementioned countries are prepared to exert further pressure on Russia using all instruments available to them, “including the adoption of new sanctions, to prevent it from waging an aggressive war and to ensure that Ukraine is in the best position to secure a just and lasting peace.”
They believe that Russia's assets should remain frozen until the conflict is stopped and Russia compensates for the damage caused.
“We reaffirm that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security and become better prepared and able to cope with current and future challenges,” the statement also said.
Baerbock threatens Putin from Kiev: "Don't pretend, we see right through your tactics."