Before her trip to Lithuania, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) spoke out in favor of tougher sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine conflict.
"We currently have to target Putin and his environment," Lambrecht told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
Those “responsible for the aggression” would have to feel “personal consequences”, “for example, that they can no longer go shopping on the Paris Champs Élysées”.
Given a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, there are fears that Moscow could attack the neighboring country.
The G7 and the EU threaten Russia with "massive consequences" in the event of an attack.
Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday that NATO was considering reinforcing its troops in the east of the alliance area.
"I can understand the fears of the Ukrainians"
"I can also understand the Ukrainians' fears very well," Lambrecht told the newspaper.
The new defense minister was cautious about the prospects of sending NATO soldiers to Ukraine itself. "We have to exhaust all options of diplomacy and economic sanctions," she told Bild am Sonntag.
“And all further steps must also be closely coordinated in the alliance”.