‘Tightening the Screws’ – Germany’s Top Diplomat Is Tired of Putin’s Stalling
The top diplomats of the US and Germany on Wednesday agreed to closely coordinate the next steps ‘so that “[Russian President Valdimir] Putin finally comes to the negotiating table with Ukraine,” as Germany’s new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul put it after meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
“Putin continues its attacks on Ukraine – despite the peace diplomacy of recent weeks, including by the US,” Wadephul said, adding that he and Rubio shared same goal to ensure that “Russia finally enters into serious negotiations”
Embarking on his first visit to the US since taking office, Wadephul stressed unity between the two allied countries, warning of further sanctions if Russia does not budge in negotiations to end the war.
“We Europeans are maintaining the pressure and will continue to tighten the sanctions. The US Senate is also ready for more sanctions,” he added.
State Department’s spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Rubio and Wadephul on Wednesday discussed “US-German coordination on key objectives including bringing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” among other topics.
Both leaders also touched upon industrial capacity and supply chains and their important relationship to national security.
“Secretary Rubio welcomed Germany’s commitment to increasing its defense spending as both sides affirmed the importance of closer strategic alignment to secure peace and stability,” Bruce said in a readout of the meeting.
Wadephul, in his part, told reporters that, Putin’s Russia is foreseeably the greatest threat to Euro-Atlantic security and given that, Germany supports NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s proposal to boost combined defense and security-related spending to 5% of GDP — split between 3.5% for defense and 1.5% for infrastructure and related areas.
Wadephul’s trip to Washington came amid recent statements from Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz implying that there were no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies, and that Kyiv could defend itself by attacking military positions inside Russia. The Kremlin called it “a dangerous move.”
Speaking to reporter in Washington, Wadephul sharply rejected the Kremlin’s latest accusations of “warmongering” regarding Germany’s commitment to Kyiv for joint missile construction.“If there is anyone who is not allowed to talk about warmongering, then it is [Kremlin spokesman Dmitry] Peskov, because he and his regime are not only doing this verbally, but are actually waging an illegal war that violates international law,” he said.
He went on to add that Europeans were ready to “tighten the screws” on Russia and noted that sanctions bills are being prepared in the US Congress.
“Both Europe and the United States are willing to draw consequences if this does not happen,” he said of Russia coming to the negotiation table.Wadephul’s Washington trip preceded a planned visit by Merz to the US, albeit no date has been set yet.
The top German diplomat was visiting the State Department as Rubio celebrated his 54th birthday on Wednesday. As a gift, the German FM presented Rubio with a framed poster of a Miami Dolphins game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which took place on Nov 5, 2023 as part of the “NFL Frankfurt Games” in Frankfurt am Main/Germany.
Source: Alex Raufoglu