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“The course we are charting now will shape the future of our continent for decades” - Foreign Minister Baerbock travels to Kyiv, Chisinau and Brussels
Visit to Ukraine, © Photothek
Find out here why European security is the aim and object of Foreign Minister Baerbock’s trip to Ukraine, Moldova and the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
Today, Foreign Minister Baerbock will visit Ukraine for the eleventh time since taking office. Also in this fourth year since Russia launched its attack on the whole of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people continue to brave the storm of constant missile and drone attacks on housing and energy infrastructure.
Mindful of their courage and determination, the Foreign Minister issued the following statement upon her arrival in Kyiv:
Each and every day, Ukrainians continue to ward off the most brutal Russian attacks. Every night they defend their country against massive missile and drone attacks. And every morning the people in Ukraine find the courage to carry on. To carry so they can uphold as much normality as they can in the midst of a brutal war – for themselves and their families.
In the Ukrainian capital, Foreign Minister Baerbock will meet with representatives from politics and civil society. One focus will be on the steps Ukraine is taking to keep moving towards EU membership, even though the illegal war against the country continues unabated. The Foreign Minister commented:
Germany will not abandon the people in Ukraine – our European neighbours. The decision of the current and future governing parties to provide an additional 3 billion euro for short-term support for Ukraine and to earmark a further 8.25 billion euro for military support up until 2029 reflects this firm solidarity and close connection across the party-political spectrum. The historic amendment to our constitution is likewise a clear sign that we are serious about continuing our support for Ukraine and serious about European security.
The second stop on her trip has now become a byword for a determined reform process to draw closer to the EU: Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is likewise exposed to increased Russian interference. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has posed major challenges for the country: when the war first broke out, Moldova took in the largest number of refugees from Ukraine per capita. The war also exacerbated the energy crisis in the country. Yet, with the support of Germany and its partners, Moldova has managed to stabilise its economy and weather the storm caused by the hybrid Russian attacks. Moldova has been an EU accession candidate since June 2022.
Before travelling to Chisinau, Foreign Minister Baerbock presents a clear analysis of the situation:
Ahead of the parliamentary elections this autumn, Putin will get out his familiar playbook: with disinformation, fake-news campaigns and vote buying, he will try once more to undermine democracy and freedom in Moldova. However, Moldova’s democracy is resilient, a future in the EU within reach. We Europeans will therefore not let up in our support and continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Moldova.
The people in Ukraine and Moldova are standing up not just for their own future but also for European security as a whole.
Foreign Minister Baerbock’s third stop will also focus on Europe’s security: exactly two weeks after the EU member states’ landmark decision to make available 800 billion euro for their defence capability in the coming years, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NATO countries are coming together in Brussels. With their meeting, the European countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are issuing a clear message: in the face of Russian threats, we are investing in our defence capability on a massive scale and thus also in strengthening NATO itself.
Foreign Minister Baerbock:
We want to keep living in a Europe where the strength of the law is placed above the law of the strong. A Europe where people can determine their own future and armed force is not used to redraw borders. We as Europeans are bringing all our weight to bear here.
