Russia’s attack on Ukraine. What is Putin doing? “Europe’s Old Innocence”

• Now there is the threat of a long, awful war. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying. Massacre of useless soldiers. Deaths of civilians, mothers and children. A humanitarian catastrophe is possible
• However, disabling certain restrictions and accounts will not deter Putin. The time has come for German foreign policy to be decided. Avoiding and avoiding actions is not enough
• We will not heal these wounds with concessions and peace. Putin aims to revive the authoritarian geopolitics of the 19th century through misinformation and the military. We must oppose it with a modern, democratic, self-confident and strong policy of 21st century alliance.
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On June 30, 2011, I was seated with several principals on the roof of the Russian Embassy in Under Ten Linden, Berlin. It was a summer afternoon and the Russian ambassador invited us to lunch. A moment earlier, the German Bundestag had passed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by a roll-call vote, receiving 513 out of 600 votes.

Ambassador Belvedere looked at Reichstock from the palace and picked up a glass of vodka filled before each card at the start of the meal. In a friendly voice he said: “For the health of the German government! This is a good day for Russian energy policy, this is a good day for Russia.”

It is now known that what the Russian ambassador said was correct. Germany, plagued by emotions surrounding the Fukushima disaster, made this epoch-making decision, which led to an unnecessary bias in Russian power and Russian politics. The result was a deep alienation between North Stream 2 and the United States, Germany and Europe. Vladimir Putin has been strengthened in a historically incomparable dimension.

Europe relied on Putin’s sentiment

Now he has begun the long-awaited war with Ukraine. Unexpected – some say. As expected, others say. A few days ago, at a security conference in Munich, there was a split in the West. The Americans who spoke on stage, especially beyond that, were unanimous: there will be war. Europeans have imagined the opposite: Putin will not do it. All this is a trick. Europe relied on Putin’s sentiment. Americans own.

Same thing again: Europe’s old innocence. The Germans are especially naive in their desire that dictators should act according to the same ethical, moral, rational and emotional principles as themselves. But it is not like that. Dictators often mean what they say, and dictators often do exactly what they say. That was 100 years ago. This is still the case today.

Now there is the threat of a long, awful war. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying. Massacre of useless soldiers. Deaths of civilians, mothers and children. A humanitarian catastrophe is possible. And good advice is expensive. Of course, no one is interested in escalating military action or driving a cycle of violence.

However, disabling certain restrictions and accounts will not deter Putin. The time has come for German foreign policy to be decided. Avoiding and avoiding actions is not enough. Europe needs Germany and America needs Europe.

Opportunity for the new German government

The new government also has a great opportunity in this predicament. The office is efficient. This galaxy combines freshness (Baerbock) with experience (Scholz). The patriarchal, derogatory tone that our Foreign Minister occasionally brings up is very inappropriate. Annalena Barbach gave an excellent speech on the situation at the Munich Security Conference.

Empathy but at the same time obvious. He noted the unity of democracy in the struggle against Russian occupation. She mentioned. Nordstream 2 Putin’s question of whether it should continue (suspending the approval of the pipeline is the right first step).

It is a call for a firm, Western-based alliance that has not been made by any German foreign minister for a decade and a half. The right tone, the right idea at the right time. The question and answer session that followed did not return to the old way. When Diplomat Christophe Hussein asked awkwardly why weapons were not being sent from Germany to Ukraine, old text volumes appeared in German history and its (anti) military changes.

The people in Ukraine need our unity

It suddenly became clear that parts of German politics were still drawing erroneous conclusions from the history of national socialism and the Holocaust. Instead: no more military intervention: no more genocide, no more racism, no more concessions.

The green Joshka Fischer began in the Balkans, the green Annalena Barbach must now end in Ukraine: the ideological restructuring of German and European foreign policy. The people in Ukraine need our unity. Words are not enough. They need help. They need an alliance based on military democratic values. Although it is difficult, they also need weapons. Reducing or avoiding violence.

The shares are much higher than the situation in Ukraine and Russia. The Chinese will closely monitor the activities of the United States and the European Union in Ukraine. They will decide what that means for Taiwan. Taiwan is a country that produces more than 60 percent. Will global microprocessor production be independent? Either there will be a military invasion and merger within a few days, or a well-organized plot from within.

No, Chinese experts and EU foreign policy seniors say the Chinese will not do that. The Chinese are very smart for that. Those who accuse Putin of always being fair say so. We hope they are right. I do not believe it.

Following the embarrassing withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, the future world order is now being tested in Ukraine. A new Atlantic foreign policy is needed. It is time for the EU. France has already recognized these opportunities under the courageous leadership of Macron. From energy policy to security policy. Now Germany must accomplish this task. A terrible war cannot be avoided by German pacifism.

The rest of the article is available under the video.

There is no denying that Putin will not occupy the entire country at once

There are many more scenes. Each of these scenarios requires a strong, united Western nation. From the worst of a major war to the best – agreement on the symbolic issue of NATO expansion to the east. There is no denying that Putin will not occupy the entire country at once.

A large, comfortable walkway to Sevastopol might be enough for him. If the West talks about diplomatic success in avoiding war, Putin will achieve his goal. Offers are offered for threats. You did not get everything you really wanted. So it would be appropriate to follow this model.

If Russia leaves, China will follow suit. They are successful because of the combination of economic and political power. Then the United States will become the leading democratic force of yesterday. Europe will become a Eurasian theme park where Asian tourists will appreciate the traces of the Renaissance in Venice and the beauty of the McLenberg-Vorbaumern Lake districts.

I met Putin once in my life. A brief face-to-face interview took place in the Kremlin in 2005, and a few months later Forbes editor-in-chief Pavel Klepnikov was mysteriously shot dead in front of the editorial office in Moscow. Putin spoke softly. And it is in the best German language with almost no accents. Since then, a certain line of conversation of this half-hour meeting has stuck in my mind. It’s about Islam.

The potential common interests of the United States, the European Union and Russia in this area. Yes, Putin said, if the Americans had not always treated us as a colony, it would have a lot in common with us. “Our Russian culture is much older and deeper than American culture. We have our own pride.”

This is what pride is all about. Under George W. Bush, Jr. and especially Barack Obama, the United States grossly transgressed this pride. Since then, the world has paid the price for these unnecessary insults.

We will not heal these wounds with concessions and peace. Putin aims to revive the authoritarian geopolitics of the 19th century through misinformation and the military. Oppose it with the modern, democratic, self-confident and strong policy of the 21st Century Alliance.

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Mathias Döpfner – German businessman and journalist. He has been associated with Axel Springer SE since 1998 and has been President since 2002. He is also the President of the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV).

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