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Germany warned about its role in Ukraine conflict — Analysis

Expert report states that Germany might be considered a partner in the war by providing arms and training to Ukrainian soldiers.

A nation that provides “instructions or training”A country could be considered a victim of conflict if it uses specific weapons or supplies arms. “safe”According to the report, the experts referred to German MPs as neutral parties in international conflict.

International law does not consider weapons deliveries to be a danger, according to the document of 12 pages that was published in March.

Berlin has dismissed all concerns and said it did not consider it to be crossing any red lines by allowing Ukrainian troops training at US bases in Germany. Steffen Hebenstreit, spokesperson for the government said the media that they are aware of March’s report.

“We are convinced that the training of Ukrainian soldiers [in using] weapons systems in Germany still does not mean directly joining the war,”He stated.

Germany’s government announced plans to supply Ukraine with self-propelled anti-aircraft guns last week. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht also announced at the US’ Ramstein base that Berlin would support the training of Ukrainian soldiers with Western artillery systems.

According to reports, Ukrainian soldiers have been receiving training at German bases for some time. In mid-April, the Pentagon announced it would provide training to Ukrainian troops in another country – and last Friday, the US military confirmed soldiers had been trained at its German bases.

US training Ukrainian troops – Pentagon

The Bundeswehr – the German Armed Forces – and the Dutch military are also involved in this training process, according to the newspaper Die Zeit.

Left Party MPs are critical of the German government. They claim that Berlin is forcing Europe into an all-out conflict. The government and Bundestag have made Germany “an active party to the war” with the recent decisions, Left Party MP Zaklin Nastic told RND media group on Monday.

“The federal government is exposing the whole of Europe to a completely uncontrollable danger,” she warned. 

In open letters, two different groups of politicians and public figures addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently. They asked Berlin to cease arms sales to Ukraine and instead to participate in negotiations between Kiev/Moscow.

So far, the German government has not responded to any of these letters. Initially reluctant to do so, Germany has been supplying Ukraine with arms together with other NATO nations almost since the start of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. Mostly, Berlin supplied Ukraine with small arms and portable anti-tank missiles. 

Russia reminds Germany of how WW2 ended

However, Germany’s Rheinmetall defense company has also contemplated sending old Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine. Berlin is also considering sending Marder infantry fighting cars.  

Russia attacked its neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Minsk Protocol, which was negotiated by France and Germany, gave the regions that had broken away special status in the Ukrainian government.

Since then, the Kremlin demanded Ukraine declare itself neutral and vow to never join NATO’s military bloc. Kiev maintains that Russia’s offensive was not provoked and denies claims that it planned to seize the two republics.

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