Russia waged war 'against unity of Europe' by attacking Ukraine, avers German President

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday, July 24 lambasted the president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for waging war against Ukraine, saying that Russia has also declared "a war against the unity of Europe." During his speech at  the western German city of Paderborn, Steinmeiersaid: "We must not allow ourselves to be divided; we must not allow the great work of a united Europe that we started so promisingly to be destroyed."

"This war is not just about the territory of Ukraine; it is about the double shared foundation of our values and our order of peace," stressed the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, during his address. 

Europe 'must defend' sovereign values

Steinmeier's remarks came just days after Ukraine and Russia renewed efforts to establish a safe passage for the blockaded grain exports from Odesa and other Black Sea ports, with the mediation of the United Nations and Turkey. German President, although, expressed fury at Moscow's invasion of the Ukrainian territory, as he said, that Europe must defend the sovereign values, as not doing so would also imply accepting "significant disadvantages." "Are we ready for that? We are all facing this question – today and in the days, weeks, and months to come," he asked.

This comes as European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a conference that Russia is also planning to cut the total gas supply to the bloc. “Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon, and therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial, major cut-off of Russian gas or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready,” von der Leyen said at a conference. 

The German President, meanwhile, iterated that Russia "is not only questioning the borders; it is not only occupying the territories of an independent and sovereign neighboring state, it is even challenging the statehood of Ukraine." In his nightly address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that Kyiv will continue to do everything in its power to "inflict as much damage on its enemy as possible" and defend the sovereignty of his country. "Even the occupiers admit we will win," said the embattled leader, all the while hailing the day of Ukrainian statehood which will be commemorated on July 28. "We hear it in their conversations all the time. In what they are telling their relatives when they call them," Zelenskyy said, adding that "Ukrainians won't be cowed".