Surprising interruption of a business trip.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner has tested positive for the corona virus in Washington.

After an otherwise unusual start to the spring meeting, a meeting with the accompanying press and journalists on site was actually planned late in the evening in order to review the day.

But then his staff informed the assembled audience why the minister could not come after all.

Meanwhile, Lindner himself wrote on Twitter: “After two years without a Covid19 infection, yesterday a negative result in the test center and today a negative quick test: positive.

Thanks to three vaccinations, only mild cold symptoms that subside again.”

Manfred Schäfers

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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It was initially unclear whether Lindner could fly back to Berlin as planned on Thursday.

The weekend is the FDP party conference, which the Liberals hope will give them a tailwind ahead of the important state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia in May.

Now it is no longer conceivable that the FDP chairman will give his speech in Berlin as planned.

He could be turned on.

No return to “business as usual”

The day was already dramatic - not only because the risks for the global economy have increased after Russia's attack on Ukraine.

In addition to the debt crisis and the consequences of the pandemic, such as disrupted supply chains and growing national debt, not least in poorer countries, there is now a risk that the world will fall into blocks again: into countries that sanction Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and governments that reject it.

All are represented in the group of twenty major economic areas (G20), including Russia itself.

There the positions clashed in Washington on Wednesday.

At the meeting, some ministers and central bank governors left the room when the representative from Moscow was given the floor towards the end of the session.

These included America's Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the country's Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell and his European counterpart Christine Lagarde.

Like other representatives from Europe, Lindner stayed because he did not want to let Russia dictate the agenda.

Lindner had previously called for a clear response from the G-20 countries to Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.

He had publicly blamed Moscow alone for the global economic problems.

There can be no return to "business as usual" with Russia until President Vladimir Putin withdraws his troops from Ukraine.

Since Germany is currently chairing the group of seven traditional industrialized countries (G7), Lindner also moderated the meeting in this group on Wednesday. As a sign of solidarity, they met with their colleague from Ukraine, Sergii Marchenko.

The G-7 finance ministers then issued a clear statement again condemning Russia and reaffirming the path taken to respond to the aggression with sanctions.

In the evening, Yellen invited a few colleagues to an exchange in a small circle.

But he was no longer able to take part because his corona test was positive.