the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany welcomes sanctions against Russia – but fears that they will be too late. Andriy Melnyk said on Wednesday on Deutschlandfunk that he very much appreciates the unity in the EU and the USA and the measures that have already been taken, such as the suspension of the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. “We welcome all of this, only today it might be too late.”
Some of the sanctions that have now been decided are a good signal – but in his opinion these steps should have been taken immediately after the illegal annexation of Crimea eight years ago. “Today, of course, that has some impact, but probably not a dramatic one, on Putin’s determination to fight this war. And when I say ‘war’, it literally means he wants to wipe Ukraine off the map.” According to Melnyk, it’s not just Ukraine that is at stake, but the entire free world.