U.S., Germany’s views on arming Ukraine differ - Baerbock

That’s according to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who spoke at a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Wednesday, January 5, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We have a different position on arms supply to Ukraine," Baerbock said.

At the same time, she recalled that since 2014, Germany had helped Ukraine build a military hospital, furnished medical equipment, supplied medical material, and offered treatment in Bundeswehr hospitals to wounded Ukrainian servicemen.

Speaking about possible sanctions, Baerbock said that, given the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border, it was clearly stated that further military escalation and violation of Ukraine's sovereignty would entail "enormous economic consequences" and also "affect the financial sector."

The politician assured that the transatlantic partners closely coordinate their positions on this issue. She mentioned in this context the joint German-American declaration (July 2021), in which both countries stated that there must be effective means of response if Russia uses energy as a weapon in the context of Nord Stream 2. The newly-appointed federal government fully agrees with this, which is laid down in the coalition agreement, the minister said. Also, Baerbock, who prior to her appointment had openly opposed NS2, gave no direct answer as to whether Russia’s gas pipeline project would be stopped in the event of aggression.

Baerbock noted that "Russia's destructive actions will come at a high cost, the new aggression against Ukraine will have severe consequences, and the Russian government must be aware of this."

She stressed that the only way out of the spiral of escalation is dialogue, which has no alternative. In Germany, Baerbock said, everything possible is being done to prevent new aggression and new violations of international law, and in fact stood up for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's plans to enter into a direct dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as possible.

"Berlin is glad that Russia has agreed to start a dialogue," the foreign minister added.

The situation will be discussed both in direct bilateral talks and in other formats, Baerbock said. According to the top diplomat, Germany, along with France, is trying to promote negotiations in the Normandy format, also supporting the negotiation efforts within NATO and the OSCE.

Baerbock is on her first visit to the United States as Foreign Minister. In Washington, she had talks with Blinken and met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Annalena Baerbok, shares the opinion that today’s task is to prevent further escalation around Ukraine. At the same time, she dodges questions about the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself.

Photo: @AuswaertigesAmt

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