Foreign Minister: Germany wants to end the war in Ukraine and facilitate the return of Ukrainian men to their homeland

Speaking about his stance on Russia, Wadephul emphasized that for relations to improve, the Kremlin must demonstrate a commitment to ending the war:

“Germany wants to end this conflict and ensure that the situation in Europe as a whole calms down again. But this is only possible if aggression like this war in Ukraine, for which there was no reason whatsoever, is stopped. […] If he [Putin] is truly ready to talk about ending this war, then, of course, people will be ready to talk to him about it.”

Wadephul hopes that the current negotiations between Ukraine and Russia regarding grain transportation in the Black Sea will also extend to energy infrastructure. This would be “perhaps the first small step towards this conflict nearing its end,” the minister said.

Johann Wadephul also accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of lying.

The Russian Foreign Minister claims that Germany's reaction to the attempted sabotage at Leipzig airport is the "beginning of a real war" and denies Russia's involvement in the attack. Wadephul said:

“We know for sure, and Sergey Lavrov, of course, also knows that Russia did this in Leipzig — and that we reacted to it, had to react. He knows this, it is obvious to everyone.”

Wadephul called Lavrov's rhetorical escalation “an expression of a certain Russian despair.” Russia is “far from being as successful in this war as it would like,” because “the war was supposed to end in a few days, but it is now in its fifth year.”

Wadephul also stated that he wants more support from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We are currently Ukraine's biggest supporter when it comes to financial and military assistance. And, naturally, the German defense industry should benefit from this. I said this to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy during my last visit. We are with you, we support you. But I also have to explain this to German taxpayers, and the least you can do is also involve the German defense industry in all purchases. At the moment, we are not entirely satisfied with how many orders are placed in Germany. Therefore, we have now asked the Ukrainian government to review this and ensure that the situation improves.”

Wadephul also agrees with German politicians who demand the return of Ukrainian men of conscription age to Ukraine. In doing so, the German government could help Kyiv by transferring data on Ukrainian citizens in Germany.

“We know who lives here. For example, who receives social benefits, who is registered here, who has a residence status. [The Ukrainian government can] write to these men that they must be conscripted.”

However, according to Wadephul, the return should happen “without coercion.”

The minister also stated that he rejects ideas of reducing support for Ukraine and reviewing military spending, which have been voiced by members of the SPD and AfD parties. “The overwhelming majority of the German population supports our policy regarding Ukraine,” Wadephul declared.

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