The future German first diplomat Wadeful assured Kiev that it will continue to receive support and promised that Berlin will try to convey this to Trump.
Johann Wadeful, who has been appointed as Germany's foreign minister, has promised to continue the Federal Republic's policy of supporting Ukraine and strengthening Germany's position in the world in his new position.
"I think that everyone, and especially Vladimir Putin, must be clear: we will be on Ukraine's side. We will support Ukraine and give it the opportunity to be on an equal footing with Russia," Wadeful said in an interview with DW. According to him, the German government intends to engage in a dialogue with the administration of US President Donald Trump to convey its position on supporting Kiev. Berlin wants to "let the Trump administration understand that it is also in its interest to have a strong Ukraine as part of the European community".
The new minister's priorities are a strong Europe and NATO
Speaking about the priorities of his mandate, Vaddeful stressed: "Germany has always been a country with a strong desire to make Europe stronger, to make the European Union capable of solving these problems that we see all over the world. This will be our first task. The second is definitely transatlantic relations with the US, which are now a serious concern for all Europeans".
The future Foreign Minister confirmed Germany's commitment to NATO principles. According to Vaddeful, Germany's future in the security sphere is possible only within the framework of the Alliance. He also noted that European countries must increase their defense budgets, as Donald Trump had previously demanded, threatening otherwise to reconsider the role of the United States in NATO.
"Germany will take a leading position in this area as well. But we want to hear from Washington that they value our efforts and adhere to our common goals."
Who is Johann Wadeful, the new German Foreign Minister
The appointment of the recently elected CDU MP Johann Wadeful as Foreign Minister is no surprise. The 62-year-old lawyer has 17 years of experience in the Bundestag, where he was most recently deputy chairman of the conservative faction and was responsible for foreign policy and security issues. In addition, Vaddeful is a lieutenant colonel in the reserve.
Since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine, Vaddeful has sharply criticized the aggressor and supported Kiev, although he had previously been a supporter of the construction of "Nord Stream-2". In an interview from 2023, he said that Berlin should allow Ukraine to strike with German weapons on Russian territory.