German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of terrorizing Ukraine’s civilian population. In an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on Saturday, January 31, he also questioned the Russian leader’s readiness for a peaceful settlement, saying he sees “no signs that Russia seriously wants peace.”
Pistorius criticized that when it comes down to it, Putin sticks to his maximalist demands and shows no willingness to compromise. He noted that during peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the Russian military bombarded Ukraine on a scale rarely seen earlier in the war.
“This no longer has anything to do with military confrontation. This is terror aimed exclusively at the civilian population, in winter with temperatures of minus 20 degrees,” the minister said.
The defense chief is skeptical about Putin’s reported willingness to agree to a limited ceasefire now under discussion. “I have serious doubts that a pause in attacks will be taken even remotely seriously by Moscow,” he told German journalists.
