A new step in the war against Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin orders partial mobilization and wants to call up 300,000 reservists. It’s about defending Russian territory, he says, and again threatens to use nuclear weapons. A selection of international reactions:
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podoliak says the partial mobilization was to be expected. The other statements by the Russian President are merely rhetorical. The aim is to hold the West responsible for the war and the deteriorating economic situation in Russia. Podoljak also reacted with mockery on Twitter: “Is everything still going according to plan or not?” he asks. Putin’s three-day war has now lasted 210 days. Those Russian citizens who called for Ukraine’s annihilation would have received mobilization, closed borders, blocked accounts and prison sentences for deserters.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck calls the partial mobilization a “bad and wrong step”. The federal government is currently deliberating on an answer to the decision of the Russian President. However, it is clear that Germany will continue to provide Ukraine with full support.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace sees the partial mobilization announced by Putin as a sign that “his invasion is failing”. Together with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin sent tens of thousands of citizens to their deaths. “No amount of threats and no amount of propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war, the international community is united, and Russia will become a global outlaw,” Wallace said.
Bridget Brink, the US Ambassador to Kyiv, writes on Twitter: “Sham referendums and mobilizations are signs of weakness, of Russian failure.” The United States would “never recognize” Russia’s claim to the Ukrainian territories and would stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte advises on NOS to remain calm: “The mobilization, the call for referendums in Donetsk, all of this is a sign of panic. We’ve heard his rhetoric about nuclear weapons many times, and it leaves us cold.”
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says: “The partial mobilization announced by Vladimir Putin is an attempt to further escalate the war that Russia has started against Ukraine. And it is further proof that Russia is the sole aggressor.”
The SPD in the German Bundestag sees Putin’s speech as a “sign of weakness, but it is also a new escalation,” as Parliamentary Secretary Katja Mast says. The partial mobilization shows that Putin is willing to take further steps. With regard to the issue of arms deliveries to Ukraine, however, even after Putin’s step, the fact that Germany does not want to go it alone without its allies still applies.
Union faction vice Johann Wadephul says Putin is finally dropping his mask. “Ukraine has the opportunity to successfully defend its own country and liberate areas occupied by Russia.” But this requires more than just substantial support from the international community in the form of heavy weapons. “It’s high time that Germany finally took the decisive step and delivered Western-style main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles,” demands Wadephul.