Baerbock: Russia must agree to ceasefire without preconditions

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced this at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The diplomat praised the US efforts as a mediator in the negotiations, emphasizing that dialogue is “always important and useful.”

“However, one should not deceive oneself and, above all, one should not allow the Russian (leader – ed.) to mislead one. This is not a situation for dialogue if the ceasefire is constantly linked to concessions and new demands,” Baerbock noted.

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She added that at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Canada, all members of the group, including the Americans, clearly expressed this view.

The German Foreign Minister emphasized that the ongoing massive attacks on Ukraine show that Putin continues to strive to “create facts on the battlefield.”

“Especially when it comes to the Black Sea and Ukrainian grain, Putin has never shown concern for the poorest country in the world, but has repeatedly used the problems and challenges of the poorest country in the world to his advantage,” the minister emphasized.

Baerbock noted that for three years Moscow has been constantly spreading disinformation, not to mention lies and military propaganda.

“The sanctions against grain and fertilizers that Russia is talking about do not exist and have not existed for all these three years. Russia continues to be one of the world's largest exporters of grain and fertilizers, which confirms the possibility of trading them,” the diplomat added, mentioning in particular the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to find solutions to all technical problems, although Russia has repeatedly rejected these proposals.

Read also: Kremlin sets conditions for ceasefire in Black Sea

“We once again call on Russia to agree to a complete ceasefire without additional conditions and to stop its brutal attacks on Ukrainian territory,” Baerbock concluded.

Earlier in the day, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said that accusations of sanctions against Russian agricultural products were fabricated.

As reported, Russia has set its own conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine. They concern, in particular, the lifting of sanctions on financial institutions servicing Russian agricultural exports.