The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, accused Germany on Saturday of "
encouraging
" Vladimir Putin, after Berlin's refusal to deliver weapons to Kiev, which fears a Russian invasion.
Russia has deployed tens of thousands of its troops to the Ukrainian border, leaving Westerners fearful of an invasion.
In this context, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Baltic States have announced the shipment of weapons to Ukraine, in particular anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.
For its part, Germany said on Saturday that it would deliver a "field hospital" to Ukraine in February, while rejecting the idea of sending arms to this former Soviet republic.
Read also“What is happening now in Ukraine is crucial and will have consequences for decades to come”
“
Today, the unity of the West with regard to Russia is more important than ever
”, reacted on Twitter Dmytro Kouleba.
“
The German partners must stop undermining unity with such words and actions and encouraging Vladimir Putin to launch a new attack against Ukraine,
” he insisted.
Ukraine is "
grateful
" to Germany for the support already provided, but "
its current statements are disappointing
", added Dmytro Kouleba.
Berlin defends itself
Germany has already supplied respirators to Ukraine and seriously injured Ukrainian soldiers are being treated in German hospitals, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in an interview published in the Sunday version of the
Die Welt
newspaper on Saturday. .
But “
weapons deliveries would not currently contribute
” to defusing the crisis, she stressed.
While denying any planned attack, Russia insists that a de-escalation requires written guarantees for its security, in particular on Ukraine's non-membership of NATO.