German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said it’s been clear from day one that Russia cannot be defeated, especially with its nuclear power status.
He reflected on how Western backers, including the top officials from Germany, the UK, France, and the United States under the former US president Joe Biden, were confident of inflicting a “strategic defeat” or at least making sure Moscow does not come out victorious in this war.
The minister said all of these possibilities seem to have gone into Russian favour, as Moscow has captured top-of-the-line western ammunition and supplies meant for Ukraine in the conflict and proven that technical imperfection is widely reported in the western-supplied equipment.
He said this war could only be settled diplomatically, with both sides engaging in serious negotiations.
“It was clear from the beginning that this war would most likely end through a negotiated settlement,” Germany’s top diplomat told reporters.
“One thing is true: a complete defeat in the sense of a capitulation by nuclear-armed Russia could not have been expected,” the minister stated, adding that “we have now become a little more honest” in this regard.
He still maintained that Kyiv’s troops have been “successfully defending” against Moscow’s forces, although the Ukrainian military has been losing ground along the entire front over the past several months.
The foreign minister also said that it was important to help Kyiv get a “strong negotiating position” at peace talks and claimed Russia was “threatening” Germany as he justified a planned military build-up that Berlin hinted at building recently.
He also said that relations between Moscow and Berlin could no longer be described as a “clear peace situation.”
Berlin has taken an even harder position on Russia under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz after he announced a fresh military package for Ukraine against Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted to Merz’s statements by saying that Berlin’s “direct involvement in the war is now obvious.”
Germany already followed a similar “slippery slope” a couple of times in the last century, down toward its collapse,” he added.
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