Reactions to Russian missiles: “Barbaric and cowardly attacks”

The Russian attacks on several Ukrainian cities have caused outrage, especially in the west. On Tuesday, the G7 want to connect to a special summit. There are also promises of aid to Ukraine – but little concrete information.

The Russian attacks with more than 80 missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities have sparked outrage, especially in Western countries. Numerous Western heads of state telephoned the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and assured him of the solidarity of their countries.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was shocked by the attacks and called them “wicked”. “We are doing everything we can to strengthen air defense,” she tweeted. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said the attacks showed how important it was to deliver air defense systems quickly.

In the next few days, the first of four IRIS-T systems will be delivered to Ukraine. This was also announced before the attacks. Ukraine is to receive the remaining three systems in the coming year. IRIS-T is considered a state-of-the-art air defense system, which the Bundeswehr does not yet have. It is delivered to Ukraine directly from the manufacturer Diehl.

France announces arms aid

After a phone call with Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would increase support for Ukraine, “also in the form of armaments”. The two presidents had talked specifically about how Ukraine’s air defense could be strengthened, Zelenskyy said after the phone call.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted that the attacks were a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s weakness, not strength.

Special G7 summit on Tuesday

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the attacks “appalling” and “reckless”. He reiterated NATO’s support for Ukraine but said nothing about possible new supplies of aid or weapons.

The EU Commission also condemned the Russian rocket fire as abominable: “These are barbaric and cowardly attacks,” said a spokesman. They are a violation of international law and a further escalation of the war that is totally unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that the Russian army apparently also violated Moldova’s airspace for the attacks. Ukraine’s small neighbor had reported that three Russian missiles had flown from the Black Sea through Moldovan airspace towards Ukraine.

The group of seven leading Western industrial nations G7 wants to meet on Tuesday for a special summit via video. Selenskyj and Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on this in a telephone call, said Selenskyj and a spokesman for the German government.

India and China are also calling for relaxation

China and India called for a de-escalation of the conflict. “We hope that the situation will de-escalate soon,” says a spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing. India expressed concern and called for an end to the fighting. The government believes the hostilities are benefiting no one and must end immediately, a spokesman said. There is an urgent need to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue.

China and India are not part of the mainly Western coalition in support of Ukraine. They do not support the sanctions against Russia and benefit from Russian supplies of raw materials.