“Do you understand what you are talking about?” Russia asked the German foreign minister. With his statement, she provided material for Russian wartime propaganda.
There is growing excitement in Russia over a statement by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on a “war against Russia”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has demanded an explanation from the German ambassador in Moscow about Berlin’s “contradictory” statements on Friday.
On the one hand, Germany declares that it is not part of the conflict in Ukraine. On the other hand, Baerbock says that the countries of Europe are at war with Russia. “Do you understand what you are talking about?” wrote Zakharova on the Telegram news channel.
On Tuesday, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Baerbock urged cohesion from Western allies with these words: “We are waging a war against Russia and not against each other.” Russian state media gratefully accepted this statement as a central key phrase for war propaganda – as proof that Germany and the other EU countries are direct parties to the conflict in Ukraine and are fighting against Russia.
Germany emphasizes: “We are not part of the conflict”
The German government, on the other hand, often emphasizes that it is not part of the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday night at the ZDF, Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to the question whether Germany and its allies were not participating in the war with the tank deliveries now decided: “No, absolutely not. He added: “There must be no war between Russia and NATO.” The German Foreign Office also made it clear after Baerbock’s statements that Germany “was not party to the conflict”.
After promising to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, Germany is increasingly criticized in Russia for using heavy weapons against Russian soldiers for the first time since World War II. Security expert Claudia Major of the Science and Politics Foundation spoke on Friday in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin” of an “extremely unfortunate slip” by Baerbock, which is now being exploited by Russian state propaganda.
(APA/dpa)