Russian envoy to Germany slams weapons supplies to Kiev as counterproductive - Military & Defense - TASS

Weapons supplies to Kiev are completely counterproductive, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev said in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland on Thursday.

"We believe that weapons supplies to Ukraine are completely counterproductive," he pointed out, adding that such activities did not facilitate efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

"Moreover, it encourages nationalist and extremist forces in Ukraine to take uncontrolled actions that can trigger another crisis," the envoy noted. At the same time, he stressed that Germany’s weapons supplies to Kiev "would be a very negative sign for Russian-German relations."

Nechayev reiterated that Russia called for de-escalating the situation. "We definitely do not want a conflict to break out. We are peaceful people and don’t need a war with our neighbors," the ambassador said, adding that "our Western partners have dramatically raised tensions through the media." "If Ukraine is pumped with foreign weapons, troops and special forces, it can also lead to provocations," Nechayev concluded.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have repeatedly stated that Berlin opposes providing lethal weapons to Ukraine. However, Germany is facing strong pressure from its EU partners, namely Poland and the Baltic states, as well as from the United States, who demand that the German government send "clear signals" to Moscow.