icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
25 Aug, 2014 13:11

​‘Germany not interested in having the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine’

​‘Germany not interested in having the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine’

It is necessary to find constructive ways and means to have talks with the Kiev government and also to have a successful meeting between Putin and Poroshenko, Willy Wimmer, former State Secretary to the Minister of Defense in Germany, told RT.

RT:Angela Merkel stressed the importance of a ceasefire and the decentralization of power. Do you think her influence is enough to convince Poroshenko to actually take those steps?

Willy Wimmer: I hope that she has enough influence and when she realizes how the German people think about events in Ukraine she must be very realistic about it. People here in Germany are fed up with NATO lies and they are fed up with wars organized by the United States here, there and everywhere. Therefore, I think it is totally necessary to provide President Poroshenko with the window of reality. We are not interested in having the ongoing conflict in the Eastern part of Ukraine, and we should do the utmost to find a peaceful solution. I think most people here agree with the remarks of Angela Merkel that weapons should be silent in Ukraine.

RT:Poroshenko says Merkel is going to provide €500 million for the restoration of Eastern Ukraine, but given the country's economic woes, can we be sure the money will reach the troubled regions?

WW: I think it is necessary because otherwise German tax payers will become angry and the German tax payers are not willing to spend money here or there for people who go on with fighting.

RT:Merkel has again accused Russia of sending weapons across the border, something that Western officials have been saying for a while... So why aren't they providing any real evidence?

WW: Because as I mentioned earlier the German population and other Europeans are fed up with NATO lies, and therefore it is necessary to find constructive ways and means to have talks with the Kiev government and also to have a successful meeting between President Putin and President Poroshenko next week in Minsk.

RT:A twitter post with a random photograph of a Russian tank was enough to set off NATO-level accusations of Russia staging a military invasion. What do you think about this situation?

WW: We have never had such an experience in our own mass media and when it comes to our own government, we have so much propaganda in our relations with our neighbors. Therefore this has to be stopped and the most critical man with regard to this is the NATO Secretary General. I think we all will be happy when he leaves office.

RT:Unlike US officials, Chancellor Merkel earlier agreed that the Russian convoy's mission of delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine was of utmost importance. Does this mean she is taking a more moderate approach to the issue?

WW: She expresses what the German population thinks. What we heard last week was that bombs are falling, artillery is firing and missiles are directed at the civil population. Therefore, for the first time in weeks, if not to say months, we saw a constructive approach to the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine. That was the Russian aid convoy. And suddenly the weapons were silent. We heard no firing, no missiles, and no artillery. The approach of Angela Merkel to the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine fits completely into the sentiments of the German population.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0