Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Klitschko brothers have been committed to their home country - and they also pay a personal price for it. They consider the warnings that western arms deliveries could trigger a further escalation to be "cowardly". Germany must also "show its colors".
Former world heavyweight champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko have warned the West not to slack off in helping Ukraine fight the Russian invasion. The fear of some Western politicians of an escalation between Russia and NATO is nothing more than "the view of cowards," Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, told "Stern". Brother Vladimir added: "The worst sin is to be a coward."
Vitali Klitschko continued that his country was only able to withstand Russian aggression thanks to Western military aid. "Without this help, Ukraine would no longer exist." On the balance sheet of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj after six months of war, he said: "What he did well was that he didn't leave the capital. So respect, on the one hand. What kind of job is he doing now? You can only do that later judge."
Only yesterday, according to Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian armed forces launched a counter-offensive across the east and south. "Active military action is now taking place along the entire front line: in the south, in the Kharkiv region, in the Donbass," the president said. Within the country there is also criticism of Zelenskyj because he is said to have left the population in the dark about the danger of war for a long time.
After six months of war, the Federal Republic called on Wladimir Klitschko for more international engagement. "Germany has to learn to show its colors again, it has to show self-confidence what values it stands for," said the 46-year-old. "Like 2006, when the Germans proudly stood by their nation for the first time at the World Cup." At the same time, he reiterated the demand for a visa ban from the Schengen states for Russian citizens, which the federal government has so far been rather skeptical about.
The war also took a personal toll on the two brothers. Vitali Klitschko, who announced his separation from his wife last week, explained: "You don't see your family very often. You invest the most important thing you have, your lifetime. I invest in my city 24 hours a day, seven days a week of the week. It's difficult, but I'm enjoying it."
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ex-boxer and politician said an important difference between Ukrainian and Russian society is that Ukrainians rejected leaders. "In Ukraine, you can't get society to accept arbitrariness," said Vitali Klitschko. "The Russian mentality always needs someone to lead."
You can find the complete interview on stern.de or in the current "Stern" at the kiosk.
