We must and will give a clear answer to Russia: Germany

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday condemned Russia's massive airstrikes on Ukraine and drone incursions into Poland, and announced that Europeans will introduce tougher sanctions to increase pressure on Moscow.

“Even after three years, Moscow is still not prepared to negotiate seriously for peace. On the contrary, the Kremlin wants to subjugate Ukraine by force. We must and will respond to this with a clear answer,” Wadephul told a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart in Berlin.

He said Germany and its European partners agree to maintain their strong support for Ukraine to enhance its defense capabilities to counter Russian attacks.

"At the same time, we must significantly increase sanctions pressure. We are in complete agreement on this. That is our goal for the 19th package of sanctions," Wadephul said, referring to discussions on the latest EU sanctions, which will reportedly target Russian banks and the energy sector.

Poland shoots down Russian drones

Germany's top diplomat expressed Berlin's strong support for neighboring Poland after Russian drones entered its airspace and were shot down by Polish and NATO aircraft during Russia's overnight assault on Ukraine.

"By doing so, Russia has recklessly risked dangerous escalation," Wadephul said, adding that European allies were analyzing the latest incidents in detail. "We discussed this in the NATO Council in Brussels and are now further examining the matter through security consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which Poland has rightfully requested," he said.

For his part, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel emphasized that Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine threatens not just Ukrainian sovereignty but also undermines the stability and security of Europe as a whole.

“Just this morning, multiple drones reached NATO airspace, and as they are designed to do, NATO air defenses successfully defended our territory, “ the minister said. “These violations are unacceptable and underscore that the Russian threat continues to grow. We will defend every inch of NATO territory and we cannot accept Russia's actions.”

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry denied any intention to strike Polish targets during its Tuesday night attacks on Ukraine. The ministry expressed willingness to discuss the incident with Polish officials. It confirmed conducting a massive strike against Ukraine's military-industrial facilities in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions, as well as in Vinnytsia and Lviv.