The world before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine no longer exists - Germany says as it pledges more assistance to Ukraine

 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine which is nearing the six-month mark, has changed the world permanently, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday, August 23.
 
According to Baerbock, Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the 23rd of February altered the peace of Europe and the world and it will never be the same.


Russian President Vladimir Putin neither stopped “at that final turning point [on] Feb. 23” nor responded to “countless offers of talks," Baerbock said, leading "his country into a long, ever darker night until today, without any sign of compliance, without any serious offer of negotiation, without remorse."

“If some are now longing for a return to the world that existed before Feb. 23, that is all too understandable. But that world will no longer exist. What has happened in the past six months can never be undone," Baerbock said during a joint news conference in Berlin with her Icelandic counterpart Thordis Gylfadottir.

 
“As long as this brutal war of aggression continues, we will continue to support Ukraine with military aid in its right to self-defense," Baerbock said. However, Germany itself must remain capable of defending itself, also in view of the threat situation in the Baltic States, she added. 

Gylfadottir also said her country is “on the side of the Ukrainian people in their heroic struggle against Russian aggression."

 She vowed to “help Ukraine rebuild so that the younger generation has reason to hope and reason to dream. This is what we owe them. We owe this to the people who are fighting and dying to defend their country." 

Russia needs to be held accountable and “must not achieve its goals," the Icelandic foreign minister said. "Ukraine must win."
 

August 24, 2022