Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken once again demonstrated Western unity in the Russian aggression crisis in Berlin on Thursday.

This is "the best lever we have," said Baerbock, and described the circle of some countries with the abbreviations of their alliances and partnerships: G 7, EU and NATO.

Johannes Leithauser

Political correspondent in Berlin.

  • Follow I follow

She also wanted the fact that some states from this circle are willing to deliver arms to Ukraine, but others - like Germany - not, by no means, as counter-evidence of this unity.

The Green Minister said: "We have previously taken on various responsibilities together".

The federal government wants to be reluctant to deliver armaments because of Germany's history.

But she supported the construction of a military hospital in Ukraine, for example.

Blinken didn't want to mark opposites

Even the fact that the West has apparently abandoned some sanctions considerations, such as blocking the international payment processing system Swift for Russia, Baerbock did not want to be understood as a sign of disagreement: which sanctions should be used against Russian aggression against Ukraine is a question to check carefully. Don't choose what sounds the hardest, but what has the strongest effect.

During his stay in Berlin on Thursday, the American Secretary of State was also not interested in highlighting differences or contradictions. The dispute over Nord Stream 2 has basically been on hold between Washington and Berlin since last summer. At that time, both sides agreed on a statement, which reads that the gas pipeline between Russia and Germany can hardly be operational if Russia uses energy "as a weapon" against Ukraine. Blinken took up the old quarrel with only one phrase; he said "no gas is flowing yet" through the new tube, so the West could use the project "as leverage."

Blinken's and Baerbock's joint appearance demonstrated in their choice of words and gestures that the Russian crisis produced a swift, transatlantic understanding. Blinken's relationship, who has only been in his position for a year, to Baerbock's predecessor Heiko Maas quickly became friendly. But now the rhythm of meetings and phone calls between the American minister and the new German colleague has increased again. Blinken also addressed this specifically on Thursday and expressly thanked Baerbock "for the partnership that we have built up in such a short time".

Blinken also took the opportunity to address the Atlantic Bridge and other German-American organizations to describe the Russian threat to Ukraine as a threat to the entire rules-based world order. Basically, Russia is not concerned with questions of its own security policy threat, such questions can be negotiated at any time, said Blinken. Such negotiations had already achieved good results in the past.

At its core, Russia is about rejecting a Europe that is united, free and peaceful.

The US Secretary of State said it gave the impression that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to take his country back to the days of the Cold War.

If that were the case, he would face the same Western determination that America and its European allies had mustered at the time.

Who's the next victim?

Baerbock and Blinken first met their colleagues from France and Great Britain in Berlin on Thursday; Blinken also met Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the afternoon. The foreign ministers of America and Germany noted that in recent days Russia has not lessened its aggressive stance towards Ukraine, but has intensified it. Baerbock and Blinken submitted as evidence that Russian soldiers had now also been transferred to Belarus for maneuvers with troops there.

Referring to the Russian interventions in Georgia and Moldova, Blinken said that now that Ukraine is falling victim to Russian aggression, one has to ask what comes next.

That is why governments and peoples all over the world should be concerned about what is happening in Russia.

It is about preserving the rule-based post-war order.

Baerbock made a similar statement with regard to Europe.

She said that warding off Russian aggression was about “preserving the European peace order”.

There is no other choice than to "defend this order with a protective shield", even if this - in the case of sanctions and possible counter-sanctions - is associated with economic consequences that then have to be borne.

Blinken is meeting his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov in Geneva this Friday.

He dampened hopes that there could be rapid progress in talks with the Russian side.

But at least the understanding for each other can be strengthened.

Baerbock, on the other hand, renewed hopes on Thursday that the "Normandy Format" negotiation forum operated by Germany and France with Russia and Ukraine could resume its activities and contribute to easing the military and humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine.