Putin must understand that we stand by Ukraine, - newly appointed German Foreign Minister Wadephul
The newly appointed German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, promised to continue Germany's policy of supporting Ukraine and strengthening Germany's position in the world.
According to Censor.NET, Wadephul said this in an interview with DW.
"I think it should be clear to everyone, especially Vladimir Putin, that we will stand by Ukraine. We will support Ukraine and give it the opportunity to be on an equal footing with Russia," Wadephul said.
According to Wadephul, the German government intends to establish a dialogue with the administration of US President Donald Trump to convey its position on supporting Kyiv in the ongoing war waged by Russia. Berlin wants to "make it clear to the Trump administration that it is in their own interest to have a strong Ukraine as part of the European community".
What is known about Wadephul?
Johann Wadephul is 62 years old and originally from Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. He has 17 years of experience as a member of the Bundestag and was deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU faction.
He has a law degree (specialising in medical and social law). Father of three children.
Before being elected to the Bundestag, Wadephul was the head of a parliamentary faction in the landtag of Schleswig-Holstein. In his new position, he specialised in foreign and security policy. In addition, Wadephul is a lieutenant colonel in the reserve.
Wadephul was a board member of the "St Petersburg Dialogue", a German-Russian forum founded in 2001 that was dissolved in Germany in 2023, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the outbreak of the war, Wadephul began to harshly criticise Russia and support Kyiv, although he had previously supported the construction of "Nord Stream 2".
In 2023, in an interview, he called for Berlin to allow Ukraine to strike with German weapons on Russian territory.
