German President: We do not expect relations with Russia to return to normal under Putin's leadership
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said yesterday that he does not believe that relations will "return to normal" with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
"Relations cannot return to normal with Putin's Russia," the German president said during an official visit to Warsaw.
Steinmeier pointed out that "this war will require our support, our ability to defend ourselves and our willingness to bear burdens for a long time," denouncing "Russian war crimes" in Ukraine.
"These crimes must be documented and clarified," he said during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. "The perpetrators, (the people) who are politically responsible for them must be held accountable."
Steinmeier also stressed that "this barbarism that we see every day, this barbarism must end," calling on Moscow to allow an immediate humanitarian evacuation of residents of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian coastal city of Marpol, overlooking the Sea of Azov, has been subjected to continuous bombardment by Russian forces since the start of the war on February 24.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news