BERLIN, January 28. /TASS/. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Berlin doesn't expect anything in return from the Ukrainian government for its assistance to Kiev, stressing that it is fighting for Europe's freedom in the conflict with Russia.
"We have completely different views on the motives for providing assistance, on the criteria, and on what is important now. The German government does not operate on a utilitarian principle," he said, addressing Beatrix von Storch, a member of the Bundestag from Alternative for Germany. She asked whether Berlin had demanded anything from Kiev in return for the €76 billion provided and whether any contracts had been concluded in agriculture or raw material supplies, as other countries had done.
"We support Ukraine not so that we can get some kind of deal out of it, but because it protects our freedom and upholds international law. In doing so, we pursue our own fundamental security interests, and we will continue along this path," Wadephul said.
He also stressed that Ukraine's potential EU accession is a key security guarantee. "One of the most important guarantees we can provide Ukraine right now is a realistic prospect of joining the European Union," he added, though he admitted that accession currently seems "very far off."