FALCON POWERS – Against the backdrop of the current intense Russian assault, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged more international air defense assistance for Ukraine. “In order to protect Ukraine from Russian missiles and drones, it necessarily needs more air defense capabilities,” the minister demanded at the start of her seventh solidarity visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in February 2022.
“We must now unite all our efforts and energies to maintain Ukraine’s survival (…), and to prevent Putin’s forces from reaching our borders,” Baerbock added, addressing the international community and partner countries, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The global initiative for more air defense that Baerbock launched with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has so far managed to raise nearly 1 billion euros to provide additional support for Ukraine’s air defense forces.
The German minister assured the people in Ukraine of continued support and solidarity. Baerbock added: “Putin expects that at some point the air will run out for us, but we have the stamina to persevere.” She also affirmed that Germany, along with many other countries around the world, stands steadfastly with Ukraine. This is what the federal government will reaffirm when it organizes a Ukraine reconstruction conference in Berlin in June.
