Prystaiko: Agreements with German defense firms disrupted at last moment

"Whenever our firms want to conclude a contract with German firms, these agreements are disrupted at the last moment for unobvious, probably political reasons," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko said in an interview with the Bild German media outlet.

He expressed the hope that things would change in future, adding that Germany is one of the most powerful arms exporters in the world despite its peaceful foreign policy. Prystaiko urged to analyze where Germany exports its weapons to.

"We are not ideal, maybe. But we are an absolutely democratic state that has to defend itself. This cannot be ignored," the diplomat stressed.

The Ukrainian minister acknowledged that only a few countries provide military support to Ukraine.

Late last year, Prystaiko said in an interview with German media that he wished Berlin reconsidered its policy of refusing to provide military assistance to Kyiv.

In 2019, Germany's defense exports hit a record high of almost EUR 8 billion, up 65% compared to 2018. At the same time, the weapons worth 44.2% of the total sum were sent to the third countries, some of which are at war.

ol