Ukraine: Blinken defends Germany after Kyiv criticises Berlin over Russia stance
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that he had "no doubts" over Germany's determination to stand up to Russia, after Berlin drew anger in Ukraine over its refusal to supply Kyiv with weapons.
America's top diplomat maintained his confidence in unity among Washington's allies, saying any Russian aggression towards Ukraine would be met with a “severe” response.
"If a single additional Russian force goes into Ukraine in an aggressive way... that would trigger a swift, severe and a united response from us and from Europe," Blinken said in an interview with CNN.
However, the German government is under pressure to reaffirm its firmness towards Russia, after some embarrassing disharmony within the new coalition and in particular a bum note sounded by a defence chief that outraged Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Russia against the "high costs" that any military aggression would bring, in an interview for the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
But he balanced the comment by calling for "wisdom" when weighing up possible sanctions, warning of "the consequences they would have" for Germany, Europe's largest economy.
Ukraine has been irked by comments made by two senior German figures in recent days.
By declaring the idea that Russia could invade Ukraine as an "absurdity", and estimating that President Putin "probably deserves" respect, the head of the German navy provoked uproar.
The resignation of Vice-admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach on Saturday night, 24 hours after the remarks he himself described as "ill-considered", Kyiv's irritation remains strong.
This was exacerbated by Berlin's refusal to deliver weapons to Ukraine, which Germany's defence minister Christine Lambrecht said would not help to defuse the border
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