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Foreign Minister Wadephul in Ukraine: Ukraine is fighting for the security of us all
Foreign Minister Wadephul and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha visit the national memorial for fallen soldiers on Independence Square - Maidan Nezaleshnosti. © Photothek Media Lab
Foreign Minister Wadephul has travelled to Ukraine just before the 35th anniversary of the country’s independence. His visit focuses on military support in the face of Russia’s ongoing brutal attacks on civilian infrastructure, preparing for winter and deepening German-Ukrainian security cooperation.
On his arrival in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Wadephul said:
The holiday weeks in July and August, for people across Europe the best time of the year, were the deadliest in over four years for the civilian population in Ukraine. Never before has Russia fired more missiles at its neighbour. Every day, Russia is robbing women, men and children in Ukraine of the future for which the entire country is hoping, for which the entire country is striving – a future in peace, a future in which there is at last no need to fear for friends and family, no need to fear what the next night will bring.
The people of Ukraine have been defending their freedom and their right of self-determination against the Russian aggression for years now. Russia is not only piling on the military pressure but also attacking civilian infrastructure, with the energy supply in particular repeatedly a target. Attacking power plants, electricity grids and the heating supply system means huge hardships for millions of people.
Germany is helping Ukraine to maintain its energy supply, repair damage and make its critical infrastructure more resilient. One focus of the visit is on preparing for the upcoming winter. This includes the provision of generators, spare parts and other energy technology, support for the Ukrainian energy sector, and measures to protect critical infrastructure.
At the same time, Ukraine is an important security partner. Germany can learn from Ukraine’s experience in dealing with hybrid threats and modern warfare and in ensuring the resilience of state and social structures. The visit will therefore focus equally on deepening security and defence cooperation with Ukraine – in particular the strengthening of military capabilities, the exchange of experience and the joint development of long-term security structures.
More and more people in Russia are realising that Ukraine, with the support it is getting from the international community, has the greater staying power and that continuing the war will only drive Russia further into economic ruin. The increasingly confused propaganda and the increasingly totalitarian repression at home are also signs of the regime’s weakness. The only solution is peace. All our measures aim to make Putin accept this at long last and stop sending thousands of his own young countrymen to their deaths.
-- Foreign Minister Wadephul in Kyiv on 22 August
At the same time, Ukraine is an important security partner. Germany can learn from Ukraine’s experience in dealing with hybrid threats and modern warfare and in ensuring the resilience of state and social structures. The visit will therefore focus equally on deepening security and defence cooperation with Ukraine – in particular the strengthening of military capabilities, the exchange of experience and the joint development of long-term security structures.