MOSCOW, May 12. Head of the parliamentary faction Social -Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Rolf Mützenich sharply criticized the idea of a number of Bundestag deputies to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine with air defense systems from the territories of NATO countries.
“
"The desire to protect the airspace of Ukraine through a NATO operation means a refusal the principle that we do not want to actively interfere in the war. “I consider such proposals irresponsible and extremely dangerous,” he told the Tagesspiegel.
According to the deputy, the protection of Ukrainian airspace by the German Armed Forces would immediately turn Germany into a party to the conflict and would require a Bundestag mandate. He emphasized that the SPD faction would never agree to this.
Earlier, the FAZ publication published material that cited the opinions of four Bundestag deputies on the possibility of Western countries using air defense systems from the territories of NATO countries neighboring Ukraine to suppress Russian missiles and drones.
In March, Mützenich spoke about the need to think about how to freeze the armed conflict in Ukraine in order to then put an end to it.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Moscow. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in Great Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.