Baerbock calls Putin a condition - and talks about "further skills" also through Germany

Created: 05/15/2022, 21:40

By: Cindy Boden

At a NATO meeting, Germany's Foreign Minister Baerbock explains what is now necessary for a dialogue with Moscow - and it becomes clear.

News ticker.

• Escalated Ukraine conflict:

  According to

  Annalena Baerbock

  , the bombing must stop

  for a

  dialogue with Moscow .

• With regard to the

  OSCE

  , the German Foreign Minister made

  harsh accusations against

  Russia .

• This

  news ticker on reactions from Germany to the Ukraine war

  is continuously updated.

Berlin - Russian attacks continue in Ukraine - and diplomatic efforts are in full swing.

At an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was once again the focus.

She cited the end of the Russian bombing of Ukraine as a precondition for resuming dialogue with Moscow.

"We are always ready not only to speak, but to finally stop killing people," she said at the end of the meeting in Berlin.

"But for this to happen, these bombings have to stop," added the Greens politician from the traffic light coalition.

Annalena Baerbock (Greens), Foreign Minister of Germany, speaks at a press conference at the end of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting.

© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Ukraine news from Germany: Baerbock talks about "additional skills"

Baerbock also criticized the Russian government for making it clear that the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997 was no longer worth anything.

The Founding Act had been unilaterally terminated by Russia.

That is why NATO is strengthening the eastern flank.

In addition, one must ensure that Finland and Sweden would not be threatened in the event of a possible accession.

This also applies to the Baltic partners and the countries on NATO's southern flank.

Accordingly, "further capabilities will be made available there, including we as the Federal Republic of Germany, in order to be able to defend every corner of our common alliance in case of doubt," said Baerbock.

In the NATO-Russia Founding Act, NATO also committed itself to refraining from permanently stationing "substantial combat troops" in the eastern alliance area.

From the point of view of the alliance, however, this obligation was clearly linked to the condition that the security environment, which was positive at the time, did not deteriorate.

Ukraine news from Germany: Places of exchange "literally bombed"

Also with a view to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Baerbock accused Moscow that "this last form of dialogue was blown up by the Russian side".

In many different formats with many countries, attempts were made again and again to "peacefully solve this conflict, to avert this war of aggression".

However, places of exchange such as the OSCE were "literally bombed out".

At the same time, the minister emphasized that if "even in a brutal world there is no more talking, then that is the end of togetherness".

In the course of the Ukraine war, NATO could also grow:

Finland and Sweden want to enter.

In this regard, Baerbock spoke out for a quick admission.

You can read more about this in our NATO ticker.