Former German Defense Minister, lawyer and manager Franz Josef Jung called the condition for military assistance to Ukraine from the FRG – the ability of Kiev to defend itself on its own, without the help of NATO. He announced this on Saturday, February 12.
“We will help Ukraine if it is able to defend itself, so that no NATO forces, so to speak, help there. And what the federal government did with the supply of 5,000 helmets is, in my opinion, shameful,” he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Answering a clarifying question about the supply of weapons to the Ukrainian side, provided that he is currently working as head of the Ministry of Defense, Jung said: “We would supply defensive weapons.”
Jung served as Minister of Defense of Germany from 2005 to 2009. The current head of the country’s military department, Minister Christina Lambrecht, said at the end of January that the country would provide 5,000 helmets as military assistance to Ukraine. Lambrecht also recalled that Berlin allocated €5.3 million for a mobile field hospital for the Ukrainian army and will provide training on its construction and use.
In Kiev, Germany’s position on the choice of military assistance to Ukraine was not appreciated by helmets, the authorities are asking the German government to reconsider this policy. The Ukrainian government expects lethal weapons from European states, and Berlin’s position may affect bilateral contacts between the two countries.
Ukraine has been asking Germany for several months to supply weapons to defend against an alleged Russian invasion, including warships and anti-aircraft systems. Because of this, at the end of January, German Ambassador Anka Feldhusen was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to discuss with her the adjustments to the position of the German government on refusing to provide Kiev with lethal weapons.
Against the backdrop of widespread speculation about Russia’s allegedly impending invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have increased its military support. On February 4, Canada sent a transport aircraft with non-lethal weapons to Ukraine. Prior to this, the Canadian government decided to allocate $340 million for immediate support to Kiev. The United States has provided military assistance to the country several times since the beginning of the year. The Czech Republic plans to send 152 mm heavy artillery shells here.
The Russian side has repeatedly denied accusations of possible aggression and pointed out that the militarization of Ukraine leads to an aggravation in the Donbass. On January 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia was not going to start a war with Ukraine, and Western countries and the United States were “hysterically” developing the topic of a threat to Ukraine from the Russian Federation instead of forcing Ukraine to comply with the Minsk agreements.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
