\n<\/p>\n
The German government remains opposed to the idea of setting up a defensive shield from NATO territory to protect against Russian airstrikes in western Ukraine, a top spokesman said on Monday.<\/p>\n
“From our point of view, that would be an involvement, a direct involvement in this conflict. And that is something we are not aiming for,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Monday.<\/p>\n
He also referred to statements made by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.<\/p>\n
There have been calls from some recently for NATO powers to bolster Ukrainian air defences by establishing some sort of protective shield over Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Hebestreit did not want to comment specifically on a question as to whether and in what form Ukraine had given assurances that it would not carry out attacks on targets in Russia with the weapons systems supplied from Germany.<\/p>\n
These regulations were subject to confidentiality and had proved their worth, Hebestreit said. He also noted that international law stipulates that a state under attack can also defend itself outside its own borders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n