Message to Berlin

Zelensky warns: “Risk of a third world war”

(Bild: AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued an urgent warning that other European countries such as Germany would also be in danger if Russia were to defeat his country. The German government has now come to realize "that Russia will move closer to Germany if we do not hold out," said Selenskyj in an ARD interview broadcast on Sunday evening, which was recorded on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian head of state added that it seemed to him that Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz "understands this risk. And that clearly means - World War III". Selenskyj added that he could not say whether Russia would first turn against Germany, Poland or the Baltic states after a victory over Ukraine.

"Support remains important"
The Ukrainian head of state called for further aid for his country. For Ukraine, any support from its partners is very important "so that Ukraine does not have the feeling of being alone". Germany and other countries would have to show whether Ukraine was "right in its view and whether Russia should be pushed back into the closet".

(Bild: AFP )

Regarding the tug-of-war over the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles from Germany to Ukraine, Selensky said that this was "a topic" in his talks with Scholz. He did not wish to comment further on the status of the talks. However, he emphasized that it would "hardly help" Germany if it kept important weapons for itself instead of making them available to Ukraine in its current fight against Russia.

"Russia's aggression not taken seriously"
Selensky also recalled that Germany had not taken Russia's aggression against Ukraine seriously enough for a long time. "I was disappointed by German policy, which, when Crimea was occupied, did not play the role" that Ukraine, Europe and the world "deserved", said Selenskyj, referring to Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014.

February 24 marks the second anniversary of the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In the ARD interview, Selenskyj acknowledged the need to relieve frontline soldiers through more frequent replacements. He was aware that "gratitude is not enough" in view of the performance of Ukrainian soldiers, said Selenskyj. "We need a fair rotation, they need leave, because money alone cannot make up for that."

Selenskyj pointed out that a new law for a more frequent replacement of frontline soldiers was in preparation. The government in Kiev is thus reacting to repeated protests by relatives of frontline soldiers who are demanding that the fighters be relieved of their duties.