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Petersburg Dialogue: a Look from Berlin |
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| Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, former Ukraine’s ambassador to Ukraine, told German Bild newspaper that the aid received by Ukraine from Germany was insufficient. (1) Ukraine has asked Germany to supply it with diesel engines for its troop carriers ahead of a possible Russian «winter offensive». (Bild, November 28 edition, Ukraine Warns about Russia’s Winter Offensive). The Minister believes that Moscow is chomping at the bit for launching an attack when frost strikes taking advantage of the fact that Ukrainians are used to warm European weather. And they lack even diesel engines for troop carriers! It’s good that the North Atlantic Alliance supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and is ready to meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces, according the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations, U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove. The General never made precise what exactly needs he meant, but it was clear the Klimkin’s statements were prompted by Breedlove who visited Kiev on November 26.Since a long time ago the United States and Great Britain have been rebuking Germany for excessive pacifism. Some time ago Washington and London joined efforts to make Bundeswehr boost its Afghanistan contingent. Finally Germany increased its military presence in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Now Germans have become contemptuous of pacifism. Though they don’t mean Afghanistan this time. Germany should be prepared to intimidate Russia as well as detect, capture and eliminate terrorists in their hideouts, like the ISIS militants, for instance, says Dr. Guido Steinberg of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik – SWP) in Berlin, a think tank known to provide analysis on foreign policy issues to the Bundestag and the German Federal Government. Zeit weekly compared pacifism to treason: it says being a pacifist means to betray friendship, the family, the nation, justice and freedom.
No matter that, Germans still oppose the instigation of militarist sentiments. That’s why the idea of sending arms to various hot spots lacks public support. According to the recent poll, 74% of respondents support restrictions on arms exports, 13% oppose weapons supplies to the countries with conflicts taking place on their soil, 90% believe that in case of armed conflict in other countries Germany should resort to diplomacy and talks or provide humanitarian aid and prepare peace proposals, 21% support the idea of providing lethal military aid to a victim of aggression and 17 % say yes to military involvement into conflicts. (2) That’s what people say. But politicians think otherwise. (…) |
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