Polish PM, in Vilnius, slams Germany's policy on aid to Ukraine as 'too weak'

VILNIUS – Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday criticized Berlin's policy toward support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia as "too week", saying that statements by some German politicians are just "empty words".  

"We can't look at the pipelines only in business terms, as some politicians have done – we know which ones," Morawiecki told a joint news conference with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in Vilnius. 

"We can't accept that the sanctions against Russia are unnecessary (...) and we can't treat the German government's policy as sacred," he added. 

The Polish prime minister described the contribution of Germany, Europe's biggest economy, to assistance to Ukraine as "too weak".

"German politicians say empty words, using slogans such as 'sovereignty' and other things. But are there higher values than life?" he asked rhetorically.

Support for Ukraine and the strengthening of sanctions against Russia was a key issue at Friday's meeting of the Lithuanian and Polish governments in Vilnius.