Wadephul expects victory – and Putin expects Kiev to lose

The situation at a glance

Wadephul expects victory – and Putin expects Kiev to lose

The violence in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is escalating. Federal Foreign Minister Wadephul sees Kyiv on course for victory. Opposition comes from Moscow – from Kremlin chief Putin.

After four and a half years of Russia’s war of aggression against the Ukraine awaits Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow Despite previously unachieved invasion goals, Kiev continued to be defeated. Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, on the other hand, sees Ukraine clearly on course for victory during another visit to the country. “Putin must know that, together with its supporters, Ukraine has more staying power on the way to the actual goal: finally peace,” said the CDU politician Kyiv.

How the war ends is a crucial question for the future of Europe. “And it must end in such a way that it is not the law of the strongest that prevails, but rather that the strength of the law prevails,” said the minister. After massive Russian air strikes with many Ukrainian civilians killed – like most recently on Friday in Kryvyi Rih, where 16 people died in a Russian drone attack on a shopping center and around 130 others were injured – Ukraine is primarily calling for more Western help with air defense.

According to Ukrainian information, a Russian attack with ballistic missiles in a Kiev suburb of Wadephul made it clear what is currently troubling Ukraine the most. It lacks the means to repel attacks with ballistic missiles, which are very fast compared to cruise missiles and drones. Zelensky has long been begging the Allies to supply additional American-made Patriot defense missiles – so far without success.

Wadephul emphasized, however, that he would continue to try to persuade alliance partners to give up Patriots next week. “The urgency of supporting Ukraine with additional air defense systems becomes clear here once again,” he said in Kiev.

Possible suppliers include: Greece, ItalyJapan and South Korea. The Bundeswehr has already handed over five systems to Ukraine and actually no longer sees any possibility of supplying them from its own stocks. The Bundeswehr mobilized everything that was possible and used its reserves, said Wadephul. But he suggested that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) checks the stocks again.

Wadephul is still in Ukraine and his further program has not been published.

For the first time since massive Ukrainian drone attacks against oil refineries and logistics centers began Russia Kremlin chief Putin said on Saturday in an interview on Moscow state television. He predicts a sharp response from Moscow. Ukraine has opened a “Pandora’s box” with the attacks against Russia’s economy, and Kiev itself has let the “genie out of the bottle”.

“The countermeasures will not be long in coming,” he said. Ultranationalist circles in Russia had recently called on Putin to take tougher action against Ukraine. Now he said: “The actions of the Russian army will be even more noticeable and destructive.” Ukraine provoked this reaction itself, claimed Putin, who himself began his war of aggression against the neighboring country four and a half years ago.