BERLIN, (Sputnik) — Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed Tuesday that Germany will not provide weapons to Ukraine and will pursue a peaceful solution to the military conflict.
Germany remains focused on finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict and is committed to the Minsk agreements, which laid out a road map toward a lasting peace in the country, Merkel said at a press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Berlin.
"We are not going to send deadly, lethal weapons to Ukraine," the chancellor said. "We remain focused on a diplomatic solution," she added.
Her comments follow media reports claiming the United States was considering sending lethal aid to Ukraine. A White House national security spokesperson told Sputnik the same day Washington was reassessing its policy toward Ukraine in the wake of renewed clashes between independence supporters and government troops in the country's southeast.
Merkel reminded journalists that EU foreign ministers agreed last Thursday to step up sanctions against militia in Ukraine's breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as against Russian officials Brussels believes should be held accountable for the latest surge in hostilities. Russia has denied its involvement citing lack of evidence.
Fierce gun battles erupted in the region in early 2015, with both sides accusing each other of indiscriminate mortar attacks on residential areas. The United Nations estimates that the armed conflict has resulted in more than 5,000 deaths since the launch of the military crackdown on opposition forces in April 2014.
