'Not My War, Not My Government': Berlin erupts in protests over arms supply to Ukraine
2 min read . Updated: 26 Feb 2023, 05:00 PM IST
Premium- Demonstrators asked German government to deescalate the crisis by paving the way for negotiations with Vladimir Putin instead.
The war between Ukraine and Russia has been going on for a year now with no end in sight. As the world finds itself divided between the Western powers and the Eastern powers, some have abstained from taking sides, like India. On 24 February, 2022, Vladimir Putin-led Russia had unleashed a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine citing the need to ‘denazify’ the East European country.
While the United Nations have condemned the move by Putin, West has slapped several sanctions against Moscow and its leaders.
Helping Ukraine or Russia with weapons and ammunitions has also clarified allegiances each country has taken to.
Russia-Ukraine war: Berlin protests
However, on 24 February, 2023, Berliners had a different demand from the German government. They sought peaceful negotiation between the two countries and to facilitate that, they protested and demonstrated at the Brandenburg Gate, asking the German government to abstain from supplying weapons to Ukraine!
Demonstrators asked German government to deescalate the crisis by paving the way for negotiations with Vladimir Putin instead.
Protesters carried banners reading, ‘Helmets today, tanks tomorrow, the day after tomorrow your sons," in reference to the manner in which the coalition government has increased its military support for Kyiv, initially donating 5,000 helmets and more recently agreeing to send German-made Leopard II tanks, Guardian reported.
Other banners read, “Diplomaten statt Grenaten (Diplomats instead of grenades)", “Stop the Killing" and “Not My War, Not My Government".
Other demonstrations showed sympathy for Ukraine, with banners reading: “Stop Putin’s War" and “Help Ukraine Defend Itself", according to Guardian.
Russia-Ukraine war in PM Modi-Scholz talk
India has been pressing for resolving the Ukraine "dispute" through dialogue and diplomacy and is ready to contribute to any peace process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday after holding talks with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who favoured a "clear stand" in the UN on the issue.
In his statement at a joint press event with Modi, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who arrived in India on a two-day visit on 25 February, described the Russian "aggression" against UKraine as a "major catastrophe" that has negatively impacted the globe and said it is important to state "very clearly where we stand on this subject" including at the UN as international law governs international relations.
The German Chancellor also asserted that no one can change borders through use of violence.