The Russian FM’s comment came after his German counterpart said Berlin would back Kiev no matter what its own people think
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has described as “fantastic” a recent comment by his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, about Berlin’s commitment to backing Kiev. The German official said on Wednesday that her country’s government would stand by Ukraine regardless of what German voters think about it.
Lavrov gave a speech on Thursday at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations to mark the beginning of the academic year. In it, he said that many Western politicians are in the grip of a “Russophobic obsessiveness.”
As a case in point, the minister cited Baerbock’s remark, which she made in Prague on Wednesday.
According to Lavrov, what the German official said effectively boiled down to the following: “Although our citizens suffer, they will also have to endure more as we support Ukraine in every way possible.”
The Russian foreign minister described Baerbock’s statement as a “Fantastic admission.”
Speaking at a conference named ‘Democracy’s Clear and Present Danger: How Do We Respond?’ organized by the NGO Forum 2000, the top German diplomat said: “If I give the promise to people in Ukraine – ‘We stand with you, as long as you need us’ – then I want to deliver. I will deliver the Ukrainian people regardless of what German voters may think.”
Baerbock acknowledged that dissatisfaction with the German government among the country’s population would likely increase come winter.
She did go on to explain that Berlin would not remain completely deaf to its citizens, though, promising “Social measures” for those who “It is impossible to pay [the] energy prices.”
However, the official made it clear that the “Sanctions [against Russia] Even if winter is difficult for politicians, they will still stay.”
Since the start of Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine in late February, and in light of the Western sanctions against Moscow that followed, energy prices in Europe have climbed to historic highs. Inflation has increased significantly in the EU and Germany, in particular. After the operator of Nord Stream 1 announced that the pipeline would shut down for maintenance, prices of gas rose once again on Wednesday.
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