The commemoration of the German invasion of the Soviet Union 80 years ago should, given the enormity of the crimes committed by German troops in this war, both against civilians and Soviet soldiers, stand outside the political arena. For the German memory of the racist war of extermination planned and directed from Berlin, all of its victims must be the same, regardless of current conflicts. But it is only possible to keep today's tensions out if one is aware of the political minefield of the past in Eastern Europe and acts accordingly carefully.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier missed this. One can ask whether it was really wise of the Ambassador of Ukraine to loudly cancel his participation in the commemoration event with Steinmeier on Friday. But the responsibility for the scandal lies with the Office of the Federal President. It should have chosen a neutral location for Steinmeier's speech, not a - by the way, commendable - museum, which is sponsored by the Russian government that wages war against Ukraine and in this conflict uses history as a propaganda weapon against its neighbors. Anyone who wants the memory of the Second World War to have something unifying must take into account all its complexity.