Together with allies, Germany sending message to Putin

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said that Germany, along with other countries, is obliged to help Ukraine defeat Russia.

“Germany, along with other countries, is obliged to help Ukraine defeat the enemy and restore its sovereignty, not giving other dictators a chance to try to repeat what Russia is doing now,” Pistorius said, according to Sky Over Ukraine.

He noted that the Russian war against Ukraine is much more than a struggle between two states for territory.

“It is a war over the question of whether an imperial power will be allowed to impose its will on another sovereign country. A common answer to this question will be heard very clearly around the world. Putin's success will only encourage revisionists and expansionists in various regions to consider whether they should also launch wars against their neighbours,” Pistorius added.

The German defence minister assured that Germany and its partners will stand firmly on the side of Ukraine, "no matter how long Putin continues his illegal and senseless war against a peace-loving country."

The German politician called on all the defenders of the free world to find the right answer to this question, to unite despite their differences in defence of the rules-based world order.

"After the Cold War, we tried to build an inclusive pan-European security architecture together with Russia. Unfortunately, we failed. Today it is clear why: all these aspirations ran into the Kremlin's strategy of imposing its dominance in Eastern and Central Europe, the minister said.

He acknowledged that the dividing lines in Europe will remain for decades to come, with a free and democratic Europe on the one hand and an authoritarian Russia seeking war on the other.

"Together with our allies, we are sending a very clear message to Putin: if any Russian soldier sets foot in a NATO country, we will defend every inch of the Alliance's territory," Pistorius promised.