"Not enough to end the death of people": The Ukrainian government expects Germany to do more than just diplomacy in the conflict with Russia. "Unfortunately, our request for military aid was rejected," Foreign Minister Wadim Prystaiko told the editorial network in Germany. "I hope that Berlin will reconsider this reserved position and will nevertheless decide to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities."
Germany and the EU have done a lot for Ukraine, said Prystaiko. But it is not enough: "We mourn 13,000 deaths, and unfortunately there are more every day." Chancellor Angela Merkel's contribution to "ending the Russian aggression is highly valued." But you want much more support. "Because it's about our survival as a nation."
Dead and injured despite ceasefire
Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian separatists face each other in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Despite a ceasefire, there are still skirmishes with the dead and injured. According to the UN estimate, around 13,000 people have died since 2014.
At the beginning of December, at the Ukraine summit mediated by Merkel and France's President Emmanuel Macron, Kiev and Moscow initiated a revival of the peace process for the contested areas. After years of standing still, the new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj approved the 2015 peace plan. For Russia, which supports the separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, this was the most important outcome of the summit.
Eastern Ukraine is not the only area of conflict between Russia and the government in Kiev. Ukraine, the EU and the US see the annexation of Crimea by Russia as a blatant breach of international law. The Kremlin, on the other hand, sees this simply as "homecoming".