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Germany’s top diplomat speaks against putting Bundeswehr boots on the ground in Ukraine

Johann Wadephul insisted that Ukraine needs security guarantees and that Germany must play "an important role" in bringing peace

BERLIN, August 18. /TASS/. German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul criticized the idea of sending German troops to Ukraine.

Wadephul insisted that Ukraine needs security guarantees and that Germany must play "an important role" in bringing peace. However, he spoke against the deployment of German troops to Ukraine in a Table Media podcast. "We focused on NATO territory like no others did," he said. Also, he noted, the Bundeswehr established a permanent brigade in Lithuania.

"Combining this with the deployment of troops in Ukraine would be too much of a burden," he argued. However, he emphasized that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will have to look closer at the issue. "It does not mean that we cannot provide Ukraine with military or technical assistance in alternative ways," he claimed.

Germany’s top diplomat was "moderately optimistic" regarding potential talks on Ukraine. "The fact that these negotiations were held at such a level means that it will not be easy for the interested parties to step back and do nothing," Wadephul said, commenting on the Russia-US summit in Anchorage.

Later on Monday, US President Donald Trump will hold a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Washington. A number of European leaders will also be traveling to the United States. Among other things, Washington will discuss possible security guarantees for Ukraine, NBC News reported.

On August 15, a meeting between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump took place at a military base in Alaska. The meeting lasted about three hours. In a statement to the press following the talks, Putin said that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict was the main topic of the summit. The Russian leader also called for turning the page in bilateral relations and resuming cooperation as he invited Trump to visit Moscow. For his part, Trump stressed that "great progress" had been made, even as not all positions were agreed upon at the meeting.

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