He noted that Putin is not even ready for a ceasefire.
Despite efforts by Ukraine, Europe and the United States to achieve a ceasefire, Moscow has shown no signs of interest in ending the war.
This statement was made in an interview with Zeit by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. He emphasized that the only one who could immediately end the war in Ukraine is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
“Nevertheless, the negotiations in Berlin were important. Chancellor Merz made it clear that Europeans have a say in negotiations regarding the future of Ukraine. European partners coordinated their positions with the positions of the United States and Ukraine in Berlin. This was also important. And the interest-free loan of 90 billion euros agreed at the EU summit in Brussels will help Ukraine meet its military needs over the next two years,” he said.
The minister added that questions about how peace can be ensured in Ukraine are still hypothetical. The reason is that the ruler of the Russian Federation is not even ready to agree to a ceasefire. At the same time, Europe declared its “principled readiness to participate in a “European-led force.”
“It also makes clear that now it is the US’s turn. They will have to make a significant contribution to providing security guarantees. Together we have a huge deterrent effect,” Pistorius said.
Russia’s war against NATO
The German Defense Minister also commented on the statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Europe could experience a major war. Pistorius said Rutte may have wanted to “illustrate what can happen.” However, the official himself does not believe in such a scenario.
“In my opinion, Putin is not looking for a full-scale world war against NATO. He wants to destroy NATO from within, undermining its unity. And by testing NATO’s response after the 13th or 15th airspace violation. Will allied Eurofighters eventually fly out because they stop taking it seriously? Will they withdraw their planes because nothing will happen anyway? Or are they ready to invoke Article 5 if something happens on Baltic borders? And Putin is strategically working to force the Americans to withdraw their planes,” concluded Boris Pistorius.
War in Ukraine: other statements by Western politicians
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that the most difficult issues remain to be resolved before the peace agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. According to him, progress in the negotiations was achieved thanks to the efforts of the United States and sanctions pressure from Moscow.
Meanwhile, US Vice President J.D. Vance said there was a breakthrough in peace talks. However, he cannot say with certainty that an agreement will be reached. Vance added that the Russians want territorial control over the Donetsk region. Kyiv sees this as a serious security threat.
