Germany’s newly-appointed defense chief reaffirms assistance to Ukraine

This was said by the new Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, in his first speech in the new capacity, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We need to continue to support Ukraine, including with materiel from the Bundeswehr's reserves," he said.

According to Pistorius, the world is going through "abnormal times" because Europe is at war again.

"Russia is waging a terrible war of destruction against a sovereign state, against Ukraine," the new minister emphasized.

He noted that although Germany is not a party to this war, the country also faces many security challenges.

"It's about quickly making the Bundeswehr strong, it's about the effectiveness of deterrence and combat readiness," said the politician, noting that the German army had been neglected over the recent decades.

At the same time, Pistorius thanked his predecessor Christina Lambrecht for her efforts.

Pistorius held the first international meeting in his new position with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin.

As reported, on January 19, Boris Pistorius took the oath as a new Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany.

He succeeded Christine Lambrecht, who announced resignation on January 16.

Photo: DW