German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock. Archival photoBERLIN, May 17.Germany's goal is to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said at a press conference. «Our goal was and is to protect and preserve the territorial sovereignty and democratic identity of Ukraine , as well as protecting the international order, speaking German, so that the people in Ukraine, like other people in Europe, can again live in peace, freedom and security,» the minister said. She added that support for Ukraine, according to the minister, means that the citizens of the country «should decide for themselves about their future.» Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
