Germany’s President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has criticized his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for invading Ukraine, accusing him of bringing ‘immeasurable agony, ruin, and murder.’
President Frank-Walter delivered the remarks at a sombre memorial speech commemorating the 80th anniversary of Poland’s Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Nazis.
‘With his illegal attack on a peaceful, democratic neighbouring country… the Russian president has broken international law… This war brings immeasurable suffering, violence, destruction and death to the people of Ukraine,’ Steinmeier said at the uprising commemoration.
Steinmeier said the lessons of his own country’s aggression throughout Europe during the Second World War hold a lesson as Russia’s attack on Ukraine has ‘destroyed the foundations of our European security order’.
‘You in Poland, you in Israel, you know from your history that freedom and independence must be fought for and defended. You know how important it is for a democracy to defend itself,’ the German President said as he stood alongside presidents Isaac Herzog of Israel and Andrzej Duda of Poland.
‘But we Germans have also learned the lessons of our history. ”Never again” means that there must be no criminal war of aggression like Russia’s against Ukraine in Europe.’