On November 20, German Foreign Minister Johann Vadephul said that Germany will continue to support Ukraine despite requests to launch an investigation into the corruption scandal in this country.
We are on the side of Ukraine. We will not let corruption allegations reduce or hinder efforts to support Ukraine, Vadefuhl said at a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.
The top German diplomat confirmed that Berlin has asked Kiev to carefully investigate corruption cases, which Prime Minister Friedrich Merz has conveyed directly to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr. Vadefuhl noted that the fight against corruption is a particularly important factor in Ukraine's process of European integration.
According to the German Foreign Minister, the suspension of corruption cases is a positive signal, but Ukraine needs to continue to improve the legal system to meet EU standards.
Berlin also sees anti-corruption measures as an indispensable part of its EU entry process, but this will not affect the level of support Germany has given to Ukraine, the German Foreign Minister stressed.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on November 19 that Berlin would provide long-range missile systems to Ukraine.
For many months, we have worked closely with the Ukrainian government to implement projects related to long-range attack capabilities. The Ukrainian army will be equipped with such systems, Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Berlin.
When asked about Germany's previous hesitation in transferring the Taurus long-range cruise missile, Mr. Merz declined to comment and did not disclose the handover date or list of weapons.
The German leader affirmed that this approach is aimed at putting more pressure on Russia.
I can only confirm that we are doing everything possible to equip the Ukrainian army with weapons systems with appropriate range. This will continue in the coming weeks and months, if necessary, including the production of such weapons systems in Ukraine, Merz added.
