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Annalena Baerbock in Riga
Photo: INTS KALNINS / REUTERS
Annalena Baerbock considers German deliveries of armored vehicles to Ukraine to be fundamentally possible.
"That's not taboo for us either, even if it sometimes sounds like it in the German debate," said the Federal Foreign Minister on Wednesday in Latvia's capital Riga.
It has now become clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin will stop at nothing.
She meant the atrocities committed in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
It is therefore clear to them: »There will only be an end to this war if Ukraine enforces it and fights for it«.
Ukraine must be provided with everything it needs for defense.
At the same time, it was clear to the federal government that a country would not become a war party simply by supplying arms, said Baerbock after consultations with Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics.
Baerbock emphasized NATO's determination in the event of further Russian aggression.
"We will defend every square inch of our common Alliance territory in an emergency," she said.
"Europe's security, the security of all of us, is inextricably linked to the security of the Bali region." Rinkevics also emphasized the need for NATO to defend its territory "by all means".
In this regard, he reiterated that his country would very much welcome Finland and Sweden joining the transatlantic military alliance.
Germany allegedly delivered more weapons than previously known
The federal government chose not to make public all the weapons it has shipped in support of Ukraine: “We shipped anti-tank missiles, Stingers, and other things that we never spoke about publicly, so those shipments could be made quickly. «
According to the Bundeswehr, Germany can no longer deliver at the moment, the minister emphasized.
However, where other partners could now deliver artillery, Germany would help with training and maintenance.
At the same time, she referred to a kind of "ring exchange": Partners with heavy weapons of Soviet design in the depot should deliver them, and Germany would then ensure that these weapons were restocked with the Allies.
Baerbock also assured the leadership in Kyiv that he would "help with training and maintenance" militarily.
She did not provide any further information on how this would be organised.
Tank deliveries are not taboo for the federal government, "but we don't have anything in the short term that we can really deliver quickly and immediately," said Baerbock.
as/dpa/Reuters