BERLIN (Dispatches) – People have staged a rally in Berlin to protest against the government’s decision to send battle tanks to Kiev, and to denounce the United States as the utmost pusher of the war in Ukraine.
Demonstrators, who took to the streets, opposed the escalation of regional conflicts and called for a halt to equipping Ukraine with lethal arms.
Chanting slogans such as “stop escalating the conflict”, “stop delivering weapons”, and “withdraw from NATO”, the protesters declared their opposition to the continuous military assistance of Germany and other NATO members and demanded a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomatic channels.
“We’re here to protest Germany’s provision of main battle tanks to Ukraine, because it escalates the conflict, exacerbates the tension, and entangles Germany to a greater extent,” said protester Ulrich Kotek.
“We are deeply concerned and threatened, and we fear being drawn into war. We must never start another war,” said another protester.
The development came after the German government decided on Wednesday to provide 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukrainian government and gave the green light to other European countries as well.
Other allies, including Scandinavia, intend to go along with Germany in supplying their Leopard tanks to Kiev, Spiegel magazine reported.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had allegedly opposed such military aid, but the German government finally changed its mind under increasing American pressure.
The decision by the U.S. to send its M1 Abrams seems to have provided the political cover that Berlin had been seeking, according to The New York Times.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva however refused to consider an option to send tank ammunition to Germany over concerns that the shells could be handed over to Ukraine, the Folha de Sao Paulo reported.
According to the report, the decision was made on January 20, during the meeting with top military command ahead of the resignation of Ground Forces commander Julio Cesar de Arruda. According to the report, it was Arruda, who raised the question of sending ammunition to Germany during the meeting, TASS reported.
The Brazilian leader justified his rejection by arguing that one “should not provoke the Russians.”
According to the newspaper, the shells in question are ammunition for Leopard 1 tanks.
This is not the first time Germany attempted to reach an agreement with Brazil on handover of German-made weapons to Ukraine. Last year, Berlin was denied to buy ammunition for Gepard air systems, the report said.
On Saturday, a Russian strike killed three people in a district of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, the regional governor said.
Fourteen other people were wounded in the attack, which also damaged four apartment buildings and a hotel, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
“Rescuers and law enforcement officials are working at the scene of the tragedy to help people and carefully document yet another crime by the Russian occupiers on our land,” he wrote on Telegram.
Twisted metal and the charred remains of household data-x-items and at least one car lay scattered across the courtyard as rescuers worked to clear the rubble.