Klitschko again calls on Berlin to supply weapons to Ukraine
Mayor of Kyiv and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitaliy Klitschko has again called on Germany to provide Ukraine with weapons and impose sanctions on the Kremlin for its threatening troop buildup near Ukraine.
“We see that Putin only understands arguments seconded by force, therefore a significant tightening of sanctions against Russia must be added to diplomatic efforts,” Klitschko said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 17, his press service reported.
Klitschko added that although sanctions may have negative consequences for those countries that apply them, in the current situation they are necessary for the security of the whole of Europe.
“This is a powerful tool to force the aggressor to stop and retreat,” Klitschko said.
“The sanctions should be painful for Russia. If they can prevent bloodshed in the center of Europe, isn’t that more important than temporary domestic and economic inconvenience?”
The Kyiv mayor added that Germany should consider stopping the Nord Stream-2 pipeline project, which was built to deliver gas directly from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea – bypassing the usual gas transit route through Ukraine.
“I understand how difficult the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine is for Germany,” Klitschko said.
“But I urge you to understand that the situation in Europe today is very dangerous. And it demands emergency action.”
He said Ukraine was a victim of Russian aggression and needs weapons for defense, and that he expects Germany to “take a step in the right direction.”
Russia currently has 140,000 troops and equipment stationed around Ukraine’s borders, including the northern Belarusian border and in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas. While it has officially denied plans to invade, it has also refused to provide any guarantees to the contrary, and continues to mobilize its forces on the Ukrainian border.
According to the German government, Berlin is guided by its conviction to “not sell weapons to countries embroiled in armed conflicts,” and that lethal aid “would not advance de-escalation efforts.”
At the same time, according to German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, in September 2021, Berlin approved the shipping of lethal weapons to Egypt, Qatar and Turkey to be used in deadly conflicts in Yemen and Libya.
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