Ukraine's partners lack political will to give country everything for victory – German MP

Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German Bundestag from the opposition Christian Democratic Union, said this at the 18th Kyiv Dialogue annual conference in Berlin, Ukrinform reports.

"There is a lack of political will for Ukraine to receive everything necessary so that Russia withdraws its troops from Crimea. If Ukraine forced the Russians to leave Crimea, it would be a defeat for Putin. But it seems that we are most afraid of this," the politician said.

He noted that last year Germany, the world's fourth largest economy, allocated EUR 300 billion from its budget to minimize inflation and rising energy prices and overcome other negative consequences of the war, and only 1% of this amount was spent on military aid for Ukraine.

Kiesewetter said that if the Germans really want to really support Ukraine, they should realize that the Kremlin's goal is to destroy the country. In a situation where an unconditional military defeat of Russia is unlikely to be seen, the partners must increase the pressure and clearly define their goals. The demands should be as follows: recognition by Russia of the neighbors' right to exist, investigation of war crimes and payment of reparations, he said.

According to the parliamentarian, the West generally demands very little from Russia, but a lot from Ukraine.

"We must demand the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Kaliningrad, the withdrawal of troops from Transnistria and Georgia. And with this 'package' we should go to negotiations when Ukraine restores its sovereignty," Kiesewetter said, adding that NATO membership is the best security guarantee.

The two-day Kyiv Dialogue conference is taking place on September 28-29 in the Berlin office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation with the participation of German and Ukrainian politicians and experts.