German defense minister says Putin ‘playing for time’

BERLIN

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday expressed doubts about a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, asserting that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “playing for time.”

Speaking to reporters in Brussels before a meeting of European foreign and defense ministers, Pistorius said they would continue supporting Ukraine while strengthening sanctions on Russia to increase diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

“He's (Putin) still not prepared to make any concessions. He's only talking about a ceasefire on his terms, the well-known terms, like no NATO membership (to Ukraine), withdrawal from the occupied territories, and much more,” Pistorius told reporters.

“Putin is obviously still playing for time, that's very clear. And even if Russia is willing to discuss a memorandum, there's no ceasefire in sight so far. That's my assessment. So, unfortunately, one has to say that Putin still doesn't seem to be seriously interested in peace, in a ceasefire,” he added.

Pistorius said statements coming from Moscow were not that important, and they will judge Russia by its deeds and actions.

“What I am convinced the European Union can and must do is to tighten the sanctions further, so that it becomes really clear that we will continue not to tolerate Russia's actions here without consequences,” he said, and called for stronger sanctions in response to Russia's latest military attacks on Ukraine.