German defence minister dismisses Putin's claims that war will end soon as yet another deception
During a visit to Kyiv on 11 May, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned that remarks by Russian leader Vladimir Putin about a possible end to the war in Ukraine could be another act of deception.
Source: Pistorius at a briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Fedorov, quoted by Interfax-Ukraine and Ukrinform, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Pistorius said Putin is trying to divert attention from his own weakness.
"At present, he can hardly point to any territorial gains, and his army continues to lose parts of the territory it had captured. That is precisely why, given that Putin continues to deceive and manipulate the public, it is our duty as a partner of Ukraine to further strengthen Ukraine militarily," he said.
The German defence minister stressed that if Putin truly wanted to end the war against Ukraine, "he could simply do so by withdrawing his troops" or by proposing concrete negotiations without preconditions.
"I hope I am wrong in seeing these [Putin's claims that the war will end soon – ed.] as another attempt at deception, but it cannot be ruled out, and it appears to be part of his hybrid warfare," he added.
Pistorius emphasised that Putin had repeatedly violated agreements during previous negotiation processes.
"Every time it came to a ceasefire or peace talks, he ultimately acted in bad faith or in a way that was completely different from what had been agreed or stated during the negotiations," he said.
Background:
- On 9 May, Putin said he believes the war between Russia and Ukraine is nearing its end, but that Western countries are unwilling to acknowledge this due to their continued policy of confrontation.
- An aide of his, Yuri Ushakov, also claimed that Putin is willing to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only in Moscow.
- Putin also suggested that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder act as a mediator in an attempt to re-engage the European side in negotiations to end the war. Ukraine has rejected the proposal.
- Berlin has likewise dismissed the idea of Schröder acting as an EU negotiator with Russia, viewing it instead as an attempt to sow division within Europe and among German politicians.
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