Germany Trump considers new Russia sanctions in Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump is holding out the prospect of further sanctions against Russia, but is also open to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
22.01.2025, 05:21
SDA
Whenever Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are ready, he will meet with them, Trump said the day after his inauguration at the White House in Washington. When asked whether he would impose sanctions if Putin was not prepared to negotiate, Trump replied: "Sounds likely."
Selenskyj would like to have peace, Trump said. "But it takes two to tango." Before his return to the White House, the new US president had announced that he would end the war, which has now lasted almost three years, in the shortest possible time. However, Trump's exact ideas are still unclear.
Russia, which sees itself militarily on the road to victory, only wants to accept a de facto subjugation of its neighboring country. Selensky hopes that the new US president will help to bring the Russian war of aggression to a just end. The Ukrainian emphasizes that a sustainable end is more important than a quick end.
In Trump's view, China could also play an important role in settling the bloody conflict. However, he criticized Chinese head of state Xi Jinping for not having done much in this regard. "He has a lot of power - just like we have a lot of power." He told Xi: "You should sort this out."
"We have an ocean in between, don't we?"
Trump again criticized the fact that the USA was being disproportionately financially responsible for the conflict and called for greater support from the European Union. He repeated his earlier call for NATO partner countries to significantly increase their defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP). "It affects them more than us," Trump emphasized. "We have an ocean in between, don't we? This little thing called the ocean."
The new US president also commented on the high number of war deaths. He claimed that the actual losses on both sides were known, but were not fully published: "Many more people have died than you are reporting," Trump told journalists in the White House. "I don't blame you, maybe it's our government that doesn't want to publish these figures."
According to Trump, the war has already cost the lives of "millions of people", including mainly soldiers on both sides. "It's very flat, you know, it's beautiful farmland, really beautiful in a special way, but there's no protection," the Republican said. "The only thing that stops a bullet is a body." According to Trump's statements, Russia has lost around 800,000 soldiers, while Ukraine has suffered 600,000 to 700,000 casualties.
The enormously high casualty figures in such conflicts cannot usually be independently verified. So far, neither Moscow nor Kiev have published figures on their respective losses that appear to be reliable. Just over a month ago, the New York Times, citing US military and intelligence sources, reported that 57,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed so far. NATO recently put Russian losses at over 600,000 dead and wounded.
Zelensky thanks Germany for arms aid
Meanwhile, during a meeting with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Zelensky thanked Germany for its arms aid. Ukraine appreciates Germany's leadership in strengthening Ukraine's air defense, Zelensky announced on Platform X. "Germany has made a significant contribution to saving Ukrainians and protecting thousands of lives."
At the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, he discussed with Scholz how Ukraine could be further supported and efforts for a just peace could be coordinated, said Selenskyj. This would help to strengthen the Ukrainian defenders on the front line and reinforce Ukraine's position. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, the German government has facilitated aid worth more than 37 billion euros, said Selenskyj. After the USA, Germany is considered the country's most important supporter.
In his speech at the World Economic Forum, Selensky advocated a strong security and defense policy in Europe - independent of the USA. The Europeans should start with a common air defense that is capable of dealing with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. At the same time, he once again called for cooperation in the production of drones and other weapons in Ukraine. His country is able to produce artillery faster and cheaper than anyone else, he said.
Leopard manufacturer and Ukrainians set up repair company
The armaments company KNDS Germany and Ukraine have founded a new joint venture for the maintenance and repair of the Leopard 2 tanks used in the war against Russia. The company founded with a Ukrainian armaments company specializes in the armaments provided by Germany, announced the Minister for Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin, via Telegram.
Ukrainians had already undergone training in armaments technology in Germany. Now the technology damaged in the war can be repaired more quickly in Ukraine itself, said Smetanin. The location of the plant is being kept secret because it is a military target for Russian troops.
Against the backdrop of the war, Ukraine wants to become one of the largest arms producers in the world. Russia, on the other hand, has always stated that the "demilitarization" of its neighbouring country, which is striving to join NATO, is one of the main goals of the invasion.
KNDS, formerly known as Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), manufactures, among other things, Leopard 2 main battle tanks, which are also supplied to Ukraine. The Franco-German armaments group KNDS, to which the German company of the same name belongs, opened a subsidiary in Ukraine last year.
