Minister-President of German Saxony calls to shrink military aid for Ukraine

"We can no longer provide funds for arming Ukraine only to have these weapons spent and achieve nothing," said Kretschmer, who represents the oppositionins Christian Democratic Union party.

"Everything must be proportional. Support, yes, but we realize that we are reaching our limits." 

The politician added that, in his opinion, the war in Ukraine "will end not on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table."

"From the very beginning, I clearly spoke out against the supply of weapons and advocated diplomatic initiatives," Kretschmer said.

"I have had a very clear opinion on this matter for two years, and I must unfortunately state that it has been confirmed in many ways." 

As a reminder, in November 2023, Kretschmer advocated for a "freeze" on the conflict, and at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he repeatedly expressed skepticism about supplying Kyiv with weapons and advocated a "different approach" to Moscow.

On Dec. 27, 2023, Kretschmer offered Ukraine to temporarily give up the territories occupied by Russia, in exchange for a ceasefire.

"In the event of a ceasefire, Ukraine may first have to agree that certain territories will be temporarily inaccessible to Ukraine," Krechmer said, adding that "not a single square meter of Ukrainian territory will become Russian," but "as in other major conflicts, the time has come for a final decision."