Germany warned on Monday that it will keep weapons flowing to Ukraine unless Moscow accepts a proposed 30‑day cease‑fire, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul telling counterparts in London that new arms packages are ready if Russia refuses to halt hostilities.
Germany signaled on Monday that it will keep supplying weapons to Ukraine unless a new 30‑day cease‑fire under negotiation with Russia takes hold, but it also left the door open to scaling back deliveries if the truce is observed. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking on arrival at a “Weimar +” meeting of European foreign ministers in London, said Berlin “expects Russia to agree to a cease‑fire and then be prepared to negotiate,” adding that fresh arms packages are ready if Moscow refuses.
A fragile truce proposal
The remarks come as diplomats from the United States, France and several EU states try to broker an unconditional 30‑day pause in hostilities to enable direct talks between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in Istanbul later this week. Kyiv reports continued drone strikes despite preliminary “days of silence,” arguing that additional Western aid remains a necessary bargaining lever.
Berlin’s existing support and new opacity
Since February 2022 Germany has become Ukraine’s second‑largest bilateral arms donor after the United States, delivering Leopard 2A6 battle tanks, MARS II rocket launchers and IRIS‑T and Patriot air‑defense systems. On 10 May, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the government will no longer publish detailed delivery lists to create “strategic ambiguity,” while insisting the overall volume of support will “grow, not shrink.”
Domestic debate: long‑range missiles and industry shift
Kyiv continues to lobby Berlin for Taurus KEPD‑350 cruise missiles, whose 500‑kilometre range would mirror Britain’s Storm Shadow capability. The issue divides the governing CDU–FDP coalition, even as Germany’s defence industry re‑tools shuttered or under‑used automotive plants to meet higher demand for artillery shells and heavy armour. Rheinmetall, for example, plans to repurpose facilities in Berlin and Neuss for defense production alongside residual car‑parts work.
Divergent views inside the European Union
EU foreign‑policy chief Kaja Kallas has proposed a €40 billion military‑aid package for 2025, but Italy and Spain said in March they were “not ready” to endorse the plan, exposing north‑south differences over Ukraine policy. With U.S. backing now tied to Washington’s mediation effort, Berlin’s position is viewed by diplomats as pivotal to maintaining a united European line.
Kyiv welcomes the signal
President Zelenskyy’s office described Wadephul’s statement as a “pillar of deterrence,” noting that Germany’s support has been central to shoring up Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of the spring harvest and critical infrastructure repair season.
Moscow’s response and earlier warnings
The Kremlin has repeatedly labelled Western arms deliveries a “red line.” President Putin warned in 2022 that Russia would strike “new targets” if longer‑range missiles reached Ukrainian hands, a stance Russian officials have reiterated as Berlin weighs the Taurus system.
NATO trajectory
In a weekend interview the German foreign minister said Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is “irreversible,” a view Berlin links to sustaining military assistance until a legally binding peace is achieved—an approach Ukrainian and several Eastern European officials endorse.
What to watch
Short term: Should Moscow reject the 30‑day cease‑fire, Defense Ministry officials say Berlin is likely to announce additional air‑defense interceptors and mobile bridging units before the NATO defense‑ministers’ meeting in June.
Medium term: The new secrecy policy may complicate public oversight but could also make Russian planning harder, supporters argue.
Long term: If German industry succeeds in scaling up munitions output, Berlin’s “conditional escalation” model—linking aid to cease‑fire compliance—could become a template for other European capitals balancing diplomacy with deterrence.
For now, Germany’s stance adds pressure on Moscow while reassuring Kyiv that support will not evaporate overnight. Whether that leverage nudges the parties toward negotiations or prompts further escalation will be the next test of Europe’s evolving security strategy.
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, has been selected to host the 2026 edition of the Games of the Future, an innovative international phygital sports tournament blending traditional athletic competition with digital gaming.
Two months after the reopening of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the revival of traditional frontier trade remains sluggish, as mutual suspicion and long-standing grievances continue to cast a shadow over efforts to restore normal relations.
For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.
Meta announced it has removed 60 coordinated accounts linked to Iran that targeted Azeri-speaking audiences in Azerbaijan and Türkiye across multiple platforms.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan have exchanged official congratulations to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on Strategic Partnership and Allied Relations between their two nations.
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, has been selected to host the 2026 edition of the Games of the Future, an innovative international phygital sports tournament blending traditional athletic competition with digital gaming.
Two months after the reopening of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the revival of traditional frontier trade remains sluggish, as mutual suspicion and long-standing grievances continue to cast a shadow over efforts to restore normal relations.
For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.
President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, according to a statement from the White House.
Hungary's MOL Group and SOCAR have signed key terms for an exploration, development, and production sharing agreement for a new onshore area covering the Shamakhi-Gobustan regions of Azerbaijan.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
Taxi drivers across France are protesting government plans to cut payments for driving patients to medical appointments. These cuts are part of a broader effort by Prime Minister François Bayrou to save €40 billion in the 2026 budget and reduce the country’s large deficit.
Brazil’s economy is expected to have regained momentum in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in household spending and private investment, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted from May 21–26.
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
In a major blow to one of President Donald Trump’s key economic policies, a US federal court has blocked the administration’s sweeping global tariff regime, ruling that the White House overstepped its constitutional authority.
China has launched a new phase of combat readiness patrols around Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) in the South China Sea, escalating tensions in one of the world’s most contested maritime zones.
President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, according to a statement from the White House.
The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has issued a strong call for international efforts to combat ongoing forms of colonialism, stressing that colonial structures and ideologies persist in various political, economic, and institutional forms around the world.
Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung is on track to win South Korea’s snap presidential election, according to a joint exit poll released Tuesday, just two months after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted over his brief imposition of martial law.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday in a bid to ease tensions over Ukraine, U.S. ties, and EU trade strategies, amid growing disagreements between the two leaders.
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, has been selected to host the 2026 edition of the Games of the Future, an innovative international phygital sports tournament blending traditional athletic competition with digital gaming.
Two months after the reopening of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the revival of traditional frontier trade remains sluggish, as mutual suspicion and long-standing grievances continue to cast a shadow over efforts to restore normal relations.
For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.
President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, according to a statement from the White House.
Hungary's MOL Group and SOCAR have signed key terms for an exploration, development, and production sharing agreement for a new onshore area covering the Shamakhi-Gobustan regions of Azerbaijan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment