German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: “There Are Moments When I Am Also Unsure”
DER SPIEGEL: Russia isn’t likely to withdraw from the territory it has thus far conquered. Will Kyiv ultimately be forced into a compromise?
Baerbock: Only Ukraine can make decisions about the future of Ukraine. But we can support them so that they have a chance to freely decide.
DER SPIEGEL: After Kyiv cancelled German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s visit to the Ukrainian capital at the last minute, neither the chancellor nor you were interested in traveling to Ukraine. Now, though, you are planning to head to Kyiv soon. What changed?
Baerbock: These trips are not ends in themselves. The focus is on helping Ukraine the best we can. Immediately after the horrific crimes of Bucha, I discussed a trip with my Ukrainian counterpart with the particular goal of supporting the work of the International Criminal Court. The cancellation of the president’s trip also influenced my travel plans. It’s good that that incident now lies in the past.
DER SPIEGEL: In early March, 141 UN member states condemned the Russian invasion. How great is your concern that this broad front could crumble in the face of rising prices for food and energy?
Baerbock: The effects of this war are impacting different countries to varying degrees. States like Somalia, Egypt and Lebanon are almost entirely dependent on wheat and corn from Russia and Ukraine. Now, Russia is blockading Ukrainian ports, where the badly needed cereals are stored, and fields cannot be planted because of the war. President Putin has plunged a number of countries into acute distress .
DER SPIEGEL: Are you concerned that poor countries might adopt Putin’s claims that Western sanctions against Russia are to blame for the situation in which they currently find themselves?
Baerbock: Yes, because Russia has been pursuing a hybrid strategy for quite some time. And one element of their war propaganda is the narrative that the sanctions aren’t targeted at the Russian regime at all, but at other countries. That is why I recently traveled to Mali and Niger, to make it clear: We are not going to abandon you. Rather, we are going to do all we can to ensure that the Russian war does not become a global food crisis that plunges millions of people into famine.
DER SPIEGEL: Germany currently holds the presidency of the G-7. Are you planning on doing something specific in that format?
Baerbock: Yes, we are, because as industrialized countries, we have a significant amount of responsibility. A focus of our leadership of the G-7 will be on establishing an alliance against this food crisis. And the Gulf states and other countries in the world, some of which have taken the position that the war has nothing to do with them, should see it as an invitation as well. Similar to the climate crisis, we can only address the fight against global hunger together. It is important to me that our country takes on responsibility in that effort.
DER SPIEGEL: It was recently announced that your husband has become a partner at the communications consultancy MSL. The organization LobbyControl views the development with concern. MSL, the organization notes, also provides consultancy to foreign governments and could seek to acquire new customers by highlighting the fact that the husband of the German foreign minister is part of the company.
Baerbock: My husband stayed at home for the entirety of my election campaign to take care of our two children. Now, he is restarting his career on a part-time basis.
DER SPIEGEL: But as a lobbyist, he is very close to political operations and to the German government. And to you.
Baerbock: Which is why we made sure that there would be no conflicts of interest.
DER SPIEGEL: Ms. Baerbock, thank you for this interview.