German foreign minister: Putin must not ‘profit’ from war in Iran
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has pledged continued support for Ukraine against Moscow’s invasion, as he travelled alongside EU counterparts to Bucha to mark the fourth anniversary of the Russian massacre.
Putin has “underestimated our staying power and the rock-solid nature of our resolve,” said Wadephul in Kiev, warning that the Russian leader “must not be allowed to profit from the current escalation in the Middle East.”
“If Putin concludes in Ukraine that wars of aggression pay off, then more will follow,” the German foreign minister argued.
The Russian president “is hoping that Ukraine’s supporters will eventually turn away,” Wadephul added. “But we will not do him that favour.”
Earlier, Wadephul visited the small town of Bucha, north-west of the Ukrainian capital, alongside top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the bloc.
The town stands for “inhumanity and brutality, for the unspeakable targeted crimes against civilians that are an integral part of Russian warfare,” Wadephul said, calling the Russian occupation “hell on Earth.”
Wherever Putin’s Russia goes, it brings war crimes and barbarism, the minister said. “Bucha remains an open wound on the soul of Ukraine and on the soul of Europe,” said the minister.
As a founding member of the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, and through its advocacy for a special tribunal on Russia’s crimes in Ukraine, Germany is committed to ensuring “that Russia’s atrocities do not go unpunished,” Wadephul noted.
He said he officially informed the secretary general of the Council of Europe on Tuesday that Germany wishes to become a member of the special tribunal’s administrative council. “This marks the next important step,” said Wadephul.
The foreign minister also announced that the German government was making an additional €70 million ($81 million) available for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
The funds would go to UN organizations as well as local and international non-governmental groups providing urgently needed support to people, particularly in front-line areas.
