*The website of the BILD newspaper is no longer available in Russia. The Russian media regulator has blocked access to BILD.de, which like WELT is published by Axel Springer, for readers in Russia. WELT distributes the texts of the BILD colleagues so that readers in Russia can find out about facts beyond the Russian government propaganda.

This article in German.

35 kilometers. This is the distance between Potsdam and Berlin. I know him well, I ride him every day. At this time, I work, talk on the phone, think about my children. Free life.

35 kilometers is the same distance from Kyiv to Bucha. A place similar to Potsdam in the center of Europe – with playgrounds and shopping centers. But now the streets in Bucha are scarred from the war. When the Russian military came here in early March, people saw hell.

Bucha is now free. But the attack on Ukraine continues. It is also directed against the European world order. It is directed against our free life in Vilnius, Krakow and Potsdam. That is why we Europeans are united in opposing the brutal Russian war of aggression.

After 100 days of war, Putin changed his strategy. But hell continues.

He underestimated the courage of the Ukrainians.

So now he is firing from a safe distance. Village after village, city after city. First comes a fiery rain of bombs and artillery, then the tanks roll across the flat, jagged ground. Putin is betting on perseverance and counting on our exhaustion. And every village is threatened with the fate of Bucha.

That is why we must continue to support Ukraine right now. Including weapons, because Putin cannot be stopped by words.

100 days of war. It is now that we have to watch – even if it hurts.

Some people in our country still remember what war is. Many people know what dictatorship means. The fact that today we can live in freedom and security is a merit of our allies and neighbors.

As the largest country in the EU, we have a responsibility to act.

I want to be able to say to our partners in the Baltics, Eastern Europe and not only: “We understand you”, but also: “We are here. You can count on us.” Just like they were there for us when we needed them. Without them there would be no reunification, a free Germany.

That is why Germany is acting. Even if it’s hard. But in matters of common security, we will never again sit back and get down to business. Together with our partners in the EU and NATO, we are reorganizing our defence.

Obviously, the world is not given for free. But every cent of our spending is an investment in security and freedom, in the freedom of Europe.

As long as Ukraine is not safe, Europe is also not safe. If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, the threat of new aggression will always remain.

We will continue to support Ukraine. So long until no more Buchis spawn. So that what is taken for granted for us becomes normal again for people in Ukraine: life in freedom.

* Annalena Berbock is the Federal Foreign Minister of Germany.