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Andriy Melnyk has been Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany since December 2014
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Susanne Hübner / IMAGO
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has reiterated his demand for German arms supplies.
In view of the massive Russian troop deployment on the border to his country, the diplomat spoke on Tuesday in the ZDF morning magazine of the "greatest danger since the Second World War".
As a non-NATO member, Ukraine is "alone" in the conflict.
He therefore hopes “that the Germans will be shaken up”.
The government in Kiev has long been demanding defensive weapons from Germany in the conflict with Russia.
The federal government rejects this with reference to a restrictive armaments policy that excludes arms deliveries to crisis areas.
Most recently, however, there were first voices from the FDP that did not want to rule out arms deliveries.
The Chair of the Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said in mid-January: "We agreed in our coalition agreement that no weapons should be delivered to crisis areas," but added: "In view of the current situation and the impact on our continent, we should reconsider in specific cases.« Several NATO members, including the USA and Great Britain, are already sending weapons to Kiev.
Melnyk: Discard »party political concerns«
Melnyk called on the traffic light coalition to put aside its "partisan concerns" and recalled the "war" in eastern Ukraine, which has been going on for almost eight years.
At the so-called contact line there are injured soldiers or civilians "every day".
"Apparently that hasn't really caught on for the Germans to this day.
We must act to prevent an even bigger war,' warned Melnyk.
The ambassador also stressed that his country "does not want to take back Donbass by force".
Rather, the aim is to resolve the conflict diplomatically.
To do this, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) must also influence Russian President Vladimir Putin and impose “preventive sanctions” on Moscow.
Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine since 2014.
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
In the past few weeks, Russia has massed tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian border.
The West therefore fears a possible Russian invasion of the neighboring country.
Moscow denies any plans in this regard, but demands from NATO, among other things, that Ukraine will not join the alliance.
svs/AFP
