Sybiha about North Korea's involvement in war: While West fears escalation and hesitates, Russia acts and escalates
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha has called on Europe to take decisive steps in response to the deployment of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine, in particular to support the Victory Plan and lift all restrictions for Ukraine "to protect life from terror."
"We call on Europe to realize that North Korean troops are now waging a war of aggression in Europe against a sovereign European state. This proves once again that while the West fears escalation and hesitates, Russia acts and escalates," he said at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Kyiv.
The minister emphasized that "we cannot beg Russia for peace, we can only force it to peace."
"The steps are clear. Supporting the Victory Plan and lifting all restrictions to protect life from terror. It is necessary to take these decisions as soon as possible," he said.
The minister listed the priority decisions to be taken by the allies: lifting any restrictions on the use of long-range weapons against military facilities on Russian territory; shooting down Russian drones and missiles over Ukrainian territory by means of air defense of neighboring countries; building up the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense and industrial complex; strengthening Ukraine's air defense.
The ministers also discussed Germany's support for the next year. Sybiha noted Berlin's role in approving the mechanism for using the proceeds from Russian frozen assets.
"At the same time, it is important to emphasize that these funds should not be seen as a substitute for national deposits. The idea of using frozen assets is precisely to create surplus value," he said.
Sybiha also pointed out that Kyiv expects that Germany's financing of bilateral aid for Ukraine next year will not be lower than the current level.
In addition, the foreign ministers discussed the possibility of supporting the development of defense industries in Ukraine, in particular, issues related to scaling up the production of drones for the needs of the front.