The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said he has no doubts Germany is maintaining a united front with Nato on the Ukraine crisis, on the eve of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels where they are expected to issue a further warning to Moscow over its buildup of 100,000 troops and heavy weapons along the Ukrainian border.
There were alarm bells in Kyiv over the weekend after Germany’s navy chief, Kay-Achim Schönbach, said Vladimir Putin deserved respect and also suggested it was “nonsense” to think Russia was ready to pour troops into Ukraine. Schönbach resigned on Saturday but his remarks rattled Nato, and Blinken did a round of talkshow appearances in an attempt to dampen concerns.
