Baerbock in Ukraine and Russia - and already under pressure: "The first bombs will apply to pipelines"

Created: 01/17/2022, 12:24 p.m

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Amid heightened tensions between the West and Russia, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is traveling to Kiev and Moscow.

© Michael Sohn/AP/dpa

The Ukraine conflict continues to smolder - and Annalena Baerbock visits Kiev and Moscow.

Before leaving, she spoke out in favor of "serious dialogue".

The news ticker.

• Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock* will travel to Kiev and Moscow in the midst of high tensions in the West with Russia*

  (see first report)

  .

• Before her trip to Ukraine* she spoke of a "serious dialogue" but also of a "clear attitude" towards Russia.

  Ukraine warns of attacks on its gas infrastructure.

• Meanwhile, foreign politicians from the Union and the Greens * are convinced that a Russian attack on Ukraine will mean the end of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline

  (update from January 17, 12:00 p.m.)

  .

• This news ticker is continuously updated.

Update from January 17, 12:00 p.m .:

Foreign politicians from the Union and the Greens see the controversial Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline as being over if Russia attacks Ukraine. “I believe Nord Stream 2 must be stopped if Ukraine is attacked. Then it would be a bad investment, but an investment in Europe's security," said CDU foreign affairs expert Roderich Kiesewetter on Deutschlandfunk. Kiesewetter warned against excluding possible sanctions against Russia from the outset. This weakens the negotiating position of the Europeans. The designated CDU leader Friedrich Merz had previously warned of a possible exclusion of Russia from the international payment transactions of the Swift system.

Kiesewetter emphasized the importance of a common European attitude towards Moscow and the cohesion of Europe and the USA. The Foreign Minister must ensure that at least one clear European stance becomes clear and that answers from the trip are discussed again at European level. The CDU politician also made it clear that the Foreign Minister had the full support of the Union. With a view to the risk of an escalation on the Ukrainian border, the CDU politician said weeks ago he believed that only a threatening backdrop was being set up here. But now he sees the situation as explosive. If the West shows weakness, Russia may take the next step, such as completely separating Crimea or eastern Ukraine. "We have to reckon with that," emphasized Kiesewetter.

The Greens foreign expert and presidency candidate Omid Nouripour said in the ARD "Morgenmagazin": "The moment there is another level of aggression by Russia, it is very, very clear that this pipeline will not come." Nouripour underlined that Course of dialogue and toughness by the foreign minister.

She will make it clear that the thread of dialogue should not be broken and that efforts should also be made to balance interests, said Nouripour.

At the same time, it must be clear that aggression and further violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity will come at a high price.

Nouripour also made it clear that Europe would not be divided.

"We will not be able to make deals with Russia at the expense of third parties."

Ukraine conflict: Baerbock visits Kiev and Moscow - "serious dialogue"

First report:

Concerns about a renewed military flare-up in the Ukraine conflict are increasing. In view of a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, the West fears that Russia is currently preparing an invasion of the neighboring country after annexing Crimea in 2014. Most recently, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby emphasized that the United States assumes that Russia is using a “false flag operation” to create an excuse for another invasion of Ukraine*.

In the midst of the escalation, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is now traveling to Kiev and Moscow to hold talks. Immediately after her arrival in Kiev, Baerbock wanted to meet German representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission there. Later there should be consultations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and her counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. Baerbock wants to convey Germany's support to the Ukrainian government, which fears a military invasion by Russia. However, the federal government rejects arms deliveries.

A meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is planned in Moscow

on Tuesday

*. Here Baerbock wants to advertise that Russia will continue to participate in efforts to resolve the crisis. "I want to find out on site whether there is a willingness to find solutions through diplomatic channels - above all, to breathe life into the Normandy process again and finally make progress in implementing the Minsk agreements," emphasized Baerbock.

Before her departure, the foreign minister advocated both a "serious dialogue" and a clear stance towards Russia.

Talks "about mutual agreements and steps" should bring everyone in Europe "more security, including Russia," said the Green politician.

However, Berlin will not make any concessions to basic principles such as territorial inviolability, free choice of alliance and renunciation of the threat of violence as a political means, emphasized the minister.

Baerbock visits Ukraine: arms deliveries, Nord Stream 2 and other topics on the program

Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock is likely to have a full program with some important topics, especially during talks in Kiev.

• Arms deliveries to Ukraine:

  Shortly before their visit, the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, had urged Baerbock to agree to the delivery of arms to Kiev for national defense.

  The reluctance or rejection of armaments aid is "very frustrating and bitter," he told the

  German Press Agency

  .

  The Greens had burned their fingers on the issue during the election campaign.

• Conflict in eastern Ukraine:

  Parts of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk have been controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.

  In the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, structures of their own have long since been formed with the help of Moscow.

  In addition, Russia has issued hundreds of thousands of passports there - and naturalized Ukrainians with them.

• Nord Stream 2:

  Baerbock's skepticism about the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline should be particularly welcome in Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz* (SPD), on the other hand, sees it as a private-sector project and has described the approval process as purely apolitical. Russia emphasizes that the route through the new gas pipeline is safer, shorter and cheaper than the route through Ukraine.

• Gas transit network:

  Ukraine fears that its gas transit network, which has long been fundamental to Europe's energy security, could fade into insignificance. The Russian gas giant Gazprom has already drastically reduced throughput volumes in recent years. The federal government has promised help with the future use of the network and has also discussed feeding it with hydrogen. However, Ukraine remains skeptical.

• Situation in the media and dealing with the opposition:

  Domestically, President Zelenskyj opened up additional fronts.

  With a view to his intended re-election in spring 2024, to Moscow's displeasure, he had five of the pro-Russian television stations close to the opposition closed and two news websites blocked.

  One of the main protagonists of the Moscow-oriented forces, MP Viktor Medvedchuk, a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sidelined on a treason trial and has been under house arrest for months.

Nord Stream 2: Ukraine sure about Putin's plan for Kiev's gas network - "first bombs will apply to pipelines"

In addition to the conflict in the east of the country, Ukraine needs to talk to Germany about Nord Stream 2 in particular. The government in Kiev is convinced: With the controversial pipeline, Russia is solely pursuing the goal of neutralizing gas transit in Ukraine. "We are 100 percent sure that Nord Stream 2 has the sole purpose of shutting down Ukraine in gas transit," said the head of the Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, the

. With a view to the Russian troop deployment on the border, he said that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin* was preparing a military invasion. "And he wants to make sure that there are no negative consequences for trade with Europe," said Vitrenko.

The state-owned company Naftogaz operates the 38,000-kilometer-long gas network through Ukraine, which has so far also transported Russian gas to Central Europe. Until the end of 2024, the financially strapped ex-Soviet republic will earn the equivalent of over a billion euros a year from transit. Moscow's goal is to eliminate this transit, Vitrenko said. Commitments to extend existing transit contracts did not change that. In the event of a Russian invasion, there would be no more lines through Ukraine, he said: "The first bombs will be on the pipelines."

Regarding Federal Chancellor* Olaf Scholz' argument that it was a commercial, not a political project, Witrenko said: "The only economic logic is that Putin can punish Ukraine for its pro-European elections." Germany also benefits from this, where the Nord Stream pipeline ends.

"For me, from a moral point of view, this is difficult to accept," said the Naftogaz boss.

Ukraine conflict: Kremlin rejects claims about invasion of neighboring country - "would be crazy"

Meanwhile, the Kremlin again drew attention to the great difference between positions with the West. According to Kremlin spokesman Peskov, Russia and the West continue to hold "completely opposite" positions. This is "disturbing," said Peskow in an interview with the US broadcaster CNN. There is agreement on some points, said Peskow. However, there are still “completely opposite” positions on fundamental issues.

When asked about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Peskov said it would be "crazy."

"No one threatens anyone with military action," Peskow said.

If NATO does not respond to their demands, Russia is "ready to take retaliatory measures," Peskov said.

Russia "does not want a process just for the sake of the process," it said.

Moscow does not want to keep discussing differences of opinion, but demands a willingness to “take our concerns into account”.

Ukraine: No unified line between the Greens and the SPD - Bütikofer calls for unity

Although Foreign Minister Baerbock emphasizes a clear and unified position towards Russia at every opportunity, this unity is evidently lacking in the federal government itself - mainly due to the differences with the SPD. According to

information, coordination between Matthias Lüttenberg, the Eastern Europe representative in the Foreign Office headed by Baerbock, and Jens Plötner, Chancellor Scholz's foreign policy adviser, was mostly difficult. In addition, leading SPD politicians probably want to put Nord Stream 2 into operation in the event of another Russian attack on Ukraine.

The pipeline is also increasingly becoming the focus of US politics. This could have consequences for Germany, because now the first American politicians are taking action. A bill by the influential Republican Senator Ted Cruz, which provided for sanctions against the pipeline, also received broad support from several Democrats. The bill won a 55-44 majority in the Senate, but was thwarted by the US government, concerned about damaging relations with Germany. Nevertheless, many US politicians remain resolutely opposed to the pipeline.

However, according to Greens foreign policy expert Reinhard Bütikofer, Germany cannot always rely on the support of the Biden government. "The federal government would be ill-advised to rely on the Biden administration being able and willing under all circumstances to have your back on Nord Stream 2," he told

. US President Biden has done this twice, the first time being in consultation with former Chancellor Merkel. "This agreement clearly implied a connection between Russia's actions against Ukraine and Nord Stream 2. It is dishonest to doubt this afterwards, as some SPD representatives are now doing," emphasized the foreign politician.

In any case, it is "badly imaginable," said Bütikofer, "that in the event of renewed Russian aggression against Ukraine, Germany could simply stick to Nord Stream 2." He warned the coalition partner SPD against exacerbating "existing discrepancies within the coalition" regarding the pipeline.

Nobody is interested in that.

In complete contrast to this, renewed aggression against Ukraine must be prevented by a high level of unity on the part of the EU and the USA.