Germany remains opposed to NATO protective shield for Ukraine

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.

"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.

He also referred to statements made by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

There have been calls from some recently for NATO powers to bolster Ukrainian air defences by establishing some sort of protective shield over Ukraine.

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.

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.