Russia-Ukraine conflict: Moscow is trying to 'extinguish civilization' in Donbas, said German foreign minister

Russia has often targeted civilians in its war with Ukraine since invading back in February. According to German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, Moscow is attempting to eradicate the Ukrainian population in the Donbas region.

According to Reuters, in her remarks before the German parliament in Berlin, Baerbock said Russia is using a strategy to quash settlements in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Baerbock cited the tactics of Moscow as she stressed the importance of Germany sending weapons to Ukraine.

“City by city, village by village, Russian troops are destroying them from a safe distance,” said Baerbock. “First the missiles, then the warplanes with artillery, and then, when everything is flattened, the tanks roll in.”

Baerbock said Moscow is fighting a war to “depopulate and extinguish civilization” in the eastern Ukrainian territory.

Russia is looking to control Ukraine’s eastern and southern territories after failing to seize control of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and getting driven out of northern Ukraine. Moscow launched its new offensive in the east, capturing most of Severodonetsk, which is in Luhansk.

Top officials from the US and NATO said this week that the war in Ukraine would likely end at the negotiating table. However, they noted that Ukrainians must be able to strengthen themselves to strengthen their stance in the peace talks.

In a joint press conference Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said what is happening on the ground in Ukraine will determine how negotiations will happen.

“Wars are unpredictable,” said Stoltenberg. “We are able to predict the invasion, but how this war will evolve, it’s very hard to predict. What we do know is that almost all wars end at some stage at the negotiating table.”

Stoltenberg also said that the alliance supports Ukraine’s right to defend itself while trusting Ukrainian leaders to make their own judgments on peace talks with Russia.

Blinken also echoed Stoltenberg’s comments, explaining that the West is making sure that Ukraine is able to defend itself from Russian aggression and to make sure that Kyiv has the strongest hand at the negotiating table.

Blinken also said it is hard to predict the trajectory of the war as well as how and when it will end.