The cancellation of the trip of the German President Fr. V. Steinmeier in Kyiv and interview of the former Minister of Finance G. Papakonstantinou in the press.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was to travel to Kyiv with his Polish counterpart. His trip was canceled because he does not seem to like the Ukrainian government. In the past, the German president had pursued a pro-Russian policy, which he described as wrong last week. THE Stuttgarter Zeitung “An unparalleled (non) diplomatic insult. Ukrainian President Zelensky told his German counterpart that he was not paying any attention to his visit to Kyiv at the moment. German aid, which – albeit belatedly – translates into an extensive arms shipment? No one expects gratitude for this, but perhaps a little more sensitivity. “But it would be wise, especially in times of war, to be able to distinguish between real enemies and difficult friends.”
A similar view is held by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“It was not a wise decision to call the German president an undesirable person. This does not make it more likely that (Chancellor) Solt will visit Kyiv. “With all the understanding of the plight of Ukrainians, anyone who has an enemy like Putin should not burden their relations with their friends, especially their biggest financier.”
“Germany’s sin is dependence on Russian energy”
“Germany’s sin is dependence on Russian energy” is the title of the interview given by the former Minister of Finance G. Papakonstantinou to Spiegel. He makes a comparison between Greece then and Germany today: “Before the euro crisis, Greece had accumulated a huge mountain of debt … At that time in Berlin they said:” You have to put in order and make tough decisions! ” “Our sin was the high debt, Germany’s sin is the huge dependence on Russian energy. Is it not logical to draw parallels and say that it is time for Germany to assume its responsibilities?” Mr. Papakonstantinou emphasizes that sanctions should be imposed on oil and gas, otherwise the war in Ukraine will not end. “Of course, a gas embargo would have cost Germany dearly, but that’s what our reforms meant to us at the time. Greek GDP fell by 27% as a result of austerity measures. Leading economists in Germany are now warning of “An economic downturn of 2.3, maybe 6%. Isn’t that something the German economy could withstand?”
The crimes in Syria then and Ukraine today
H Süddeutsche Zeitung comments on the West’s attitude towards Russia on the occasion of the war crimes in Syria: “Daraa, Aleppo, Guta. Russia has been terrorizing Syrian civilians since 2015. But despite all the horrific images that people have been sending to the world since Despite all the targeted Russian airstrikes on hospitals, refugee camps, schools and markets, as we see in Ukraine, no sanctions have been imposed on the Russian regime. He escaped all the war crimes, Bhutan could have been prevented if Putin had been held accountable earlier, if he had realized that his wars had consequences for him, for his country, for his supporters, but Syria was never important for the West … But the western states must understand that the red lines that are crossed elsewhere can not be left unanswered. to the victims of Ukraine and Syria “.
Maria Rigoutsou
Source: Capital
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