Despite repeated warnings from allies like Poland, Germany was shocked when Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago. The former German ambassador in Warsaw spoke today of a “failure of German Russia, Ukraine and energy security policies”.
A year has passed since Russia sent Europe into shock with its attack on Ukraine. For Germany, this meant a fundamental upheaval – in its relationship with Russia, its energy supply, but also the country’s role in the EU. Rolf Nikel, former German ambassador in Warsaw, speaks of a “failure of German Russia, Ukraine and energy security policies.” “Trust in Germany has been lost. And this trust has to be fought for again. It won’t be easy,” says Nikel in the podcast “The Zero Hour”.
The diplomat, who worked in the Chancellery for a long time and is now Vice President of the German Council on Foreign Relations, sees a shift in relations with Poland in particular: “People in Poland pointed out to us that we were naïve in our security policy,” he says . “Now there is an expectation on the part of the Poles: you didn’t listen to us then. Then at least listen to us now when we say how things should go on with regard to Ukraine.” The neighboring country is already taking on a larger role and is gaining in international importance.
Nikel rates the German-Polish economic relations, which are rushing from record to record, as extremely positive. Poland has become one of Germany’s most important trading partners in terms of both imports and exports. In addition, the country came through the pandemic crisis better economically than many other EU countries and has thus developed into a growth engine for Europe. In view of a fundamental “systemic conflict” in Europe, which Nikel sees emerging between democracies and autocracies, Poland could “play a role like that played by Germany in the first Cold War – at the interface between the two blocs”.
Listen to the new episode of “The Zero Hour”
· Why Rolf Nikel is an optimist despite everything
· Why German-Polish relations are better than their reputation
All episodes can be found directly on RTL, Apple or Spotify or via Google.
