Status: 04/21/2022 2:22 p.m
Foreign Minister Baerbock has called on Russia’s President Putin to finally allow escape corridors from Mariupol. With regard to arms deliveries, she renewed her commitment that there were “no taboos”.
After meeting her Estonian counterpart Eva-Maria Liimets in Tallinn, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow the evacuation of Mariupol.
“It’s in Putin’s hands to stop this bombing there accordingly,” said Baerbock on the second day of her trip through the Baltic States. “The situation is not only highly dramatic. It is almost unbearable.”
Mariupol apparently controlled by Russia
The Russian Defense Ministry announced in the morning that Mariupol was controlled by the Russian military. More than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are still on the premises of the Azovstal factory, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu informed President Putin.
Putin apparently saw no reason to storm the industrial area, but wanted to block the area. It should then be taken in three to four days.
bring the innocent to safety
Mariupol should be “bled dry and starved,” Baerbock said in the Estonian capital. The Russian bombing of the routes and roads must be stopped so that innocent people can be brought to safety. “People have to be able to leave the city,” said Baerbock.
According to Baerbock, the situation shows the brutality with which the Russian government is waging this war. She is working on solutions together with international partners and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Baerbock: Don’t rely on promises
There must be escape corridors, as both the Foreign Office and the Russian Chancellery have repeatedly made clear. An escape was partly possible, but some fleeing were also shot at. “You can see that you can’t rely on promises,” said Baerbock.
According to the Ukrainian government, only four buses with civilians were able to leave the devastated port city on Wednesday. On the Telegram messenger service, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Verechuk said the security situation remains difficult, but attempts are still being made to get women, children and the elderly out of the city.
“No taboos” on weapons
Regarding arms deliveries, Baerbock reiterated her promise in Tallinn that there were “no taboos”. Germany is currently examining what additional equipment older Marder tanks need to equip the Ukrainian army with, Baerbock said.
It would currently be faster to equip the Ukrainian troops with older Soviet-designed equipment and then replace them with German tanks at the NATO allies.