Germany has expressed its belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “playing a game” with the recent attacks on Ukraine, just a day after an agreement for a limited ceasefire was reached in a phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump.
“We’ve observed that attacks on civilian infrastructure have absolutely not decreased during the first night after that so-called revolutionary and exceptional phone call,” said Boris Pistorius, Germany’s Minister of Defense, in a TV interview.
Pistorius added that Putin is playing a game and emphasized that Trump has a responsibility to one of the world’s largest nations. He believes that there will come a time when a response will be needed.
During their 90-minute phone conversation on the previous day, Putin agreed to reduce attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days but rejected a complete ceasefire in the ongoing conflict, which has lasted over three years.
Following the new Russian strikes last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of rejecting the proposed ceasefire supported by Washington, which Kyiv had previously agreed to.
Pistorius stated that Putin’s commitment to halt attacks on energy infrastructure “essentially means nothing” because those infrastructure facilities in Ukraine are well protected.
The German Minister also criticized the Kremlin’s insistence that a total end to US military support for Ukraine and the sharing of intelligence with the Ukrainian military be “necessary conditions” for a ceasefire.
According to Pistorius, it is “very obvious” that Putin wants to prevent Kyiv’s allies from continuing their support and to allow him to defend himself realistically in the event of a new attack, either during or after the ceasefire.
