He has only been in office for 20 days. His first trip abroad has led Boris Pistorius (62, SPD) directly into the war.
In Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, he gave an interview to BILD on Tuesday night.
► Leopard 2 tanks that Germany has promised to Ukraine:
“First of all, on behalf of Germany I can confirm that our 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks will be delivered by the end of March. The training will start soon. Today, I met the Ukrainian soldiers who will now be on their way to Germany, and I saw them off. We are proceeding according to plan. It is now up to others what will happen with further deliveries. The will is clearly there.”
► the risk of the tanks coming too late:
“We must do everything to make sure this won’t happen. This is the crucial thing, of course.” Whether there will be an offensive – and when – remains to be seen, said Pistorius.
The German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, unexpectedly travelled to Kyiv on Tuesday
Foto: Giorgos Moutafis
► Ukraine potentially asking for fighter jets or submarines:
“That played no role in our talks – and rightly so. I have addressed the issue of the value of air raid defenses, because according to all military assessments that I know, this will be priority number one over the next few months.”
► one year of war in Ukraine:
“It is a brutal war of attrition. There have been enormous losses. Ukraine deserves our admiration and our full, unbroken support.”
► the question of whether Ukraine can win the war, including recapturing the Donbas and Crimea:
“That’s a difficult question and means looking into a crystal ball. Ukraine is fighting incredibly bravely. It has great soldiers. It is crucial that we continue to support Ukraine to the best of our abilities.”
► the question of whether the sentence “Ukraine must win the war” is true:
“Yes, of course!”
► potential peace talks:
“The central question is: how do we reach the point where peace talks become possible, so that both sides are willing to sit down at the negotiating table. This is hard to predict.”
► threats on Russian TV of nuclear strikes against German targets:
“That doesn’t really scare me. What happens internally is one thing; what happens in propaganda is another. In the end, none of us know what Putin is doing, but this must not stop our sensible support in coordination with our allies.”
► a possible world without Putin:
“Without any hesitation or qualification”, a world without Putin would be a better one.
► his rapid rise to being the most popular politician in Germany:
“If you have been in the business for long enough, you know that such a thing is extremely fleeting. Today it’s like this, tomorrow it’s like that. You acknowledge it, smile, and carry on with your work.”
In Kyiv, Boris Pistorius met his ministerial colleague Oleksii Reznikov (56) and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy (45). He also met Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.
Wladimir Klitschko, Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, and Vitali Klitschko in Kyiv (from the left)
Foto: Giorgos Moutafis
