German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized this at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“How this war ends here is a decisive question for the future of Europe... In this regard, I am in talks with my European colleagues, as well as with colleagues outside Europe, about further support for Ukraine, including air defense systems. I will continue these discussions next week – this is what I have agreed with all my colleagues. We continue working with our European and international partners to jointly strengthen Ukraine’s air defense,” the German Minister said.

He expressed cautious optimism that some progress could be achieved.

The German Foreign Minister assured that partners understand how critical air defense is and recalled that in June Germany announced contributions of $200 million each to NATO’s PURL mechanism and the Jumpstart agreement, through which Berlin and its partners finance vital U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine.

At the same time, the Minister said discussions were continuing on the negotiating track and its format. At the beginning of next week, Wadephul will discuss the issue with his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio.

“I expect the United States to remain willing to play an active role in negotiations with Ukraine. But I also believe it was right that we Europeans united in the first half of this year in the E3 format... And this E3 format – the United Kingdom, France and Germany – will continue to work very closely together. We are also doing this at the level of foreign ministers, and I will use my upcoming talks with colleagues to discuss this issue. I think we need to be willing to take unconventional paths. We must try to initiate negotiations on all fronts. At present, this is failing because of Moscow, but I believe that persistence pays off,” Wadephul said.

He noted that the “persistent calls from many” to Moscow could ultimately help create conditions for negotiations to take place, since many countries have an interest in resolving the conflict.

“We need to look for these opportunities again this autumn,” the diplomat said.

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At the same time, he assured that the latest NATO summit demonstrated unity in responding to Russian aggression, that Germany’s support for Ukraine would not diminish, and that Putin’s attempts to divide the allies only made them more determined to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Wadephul welcomed European diplomat Kaja Kallas’s proposal to prepare new sanctions against Russia that could target Putin’s war machine in a focused and large-scale manner. Berlin is working intensively on this with all EU member states, the minister assured.

During the press conference, he also expressed support for the independent work of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, NABU and SAPO, calling it extremely important for reforms on Ukraine’s path toward the European Union.

As reported by Ukrinform, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is visiting Kyiv.