Hesse: Rhein: "We all underestimated Putin"

Bad Vilbel/Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) reported on the anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine a year ago about his first reactions to the news.

Hesse: Rhein: "We all underestimated Putin"

Bad Vilbel/Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) reported on the anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine a year ago about his first reactions to the news. "My first emotional state was that it is completely unimaginable that there would be another war on our doorstep in the middle of Europe," he said on HIT Radio FFH. The interview will be broadcast on Friday. "And my second emotional state was that we all underestimated Putin and didn't take his threats seriously."

Rhein was proud of what Hesse has done so far to take in refugees from Ukraine. "We have a great welcoming culture," he said. However, the federal government must give the state and the municipalities more financial support in accommodating the refugees. "We're slowly reaching our limit."