Wadephul: Germany not to yield to Russian threats, to keep diplomats in Kyiv

This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in an interview with Bloomberg, as reported by Ukrinform.

“No, of course not. We are in close contact with other embassies. We won’t be intimidated by this. We know the Russians, and these are the means they take,” the minister said when asked about threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin and calls for foreign states to evacuate their embassies from Kyiv.

The German Foreign Minister emphasized that Russia is conducting a hybrid war against Ukraine’s Western partners, attempting to undermine their resolve.

“They are not only waging this war against Ukraine, but also, of course, a war of information and communication against us, as we are strong and reliable supporters of Ukraine,” Wadephul noted.

Commenting on the possibility of direct phone contact between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Wadephul did not rule it out in the future, but said it would depend on Russia’s readiness to take real steps toward peace.

As reported by Ukrinform, Russia had earlier urged foreign states to “pre-emptively evacuate” diplomats from Kyiv, allegedly in case Ukraine attempted to disrupt the May 9 celebrations in Moscow.

EU officials have already stated that they will not heed these threats and do not plan any evacuation.