TV review
“Anne Will”
“Do you think Putin is capable of attacking us?” Anne Will asks. And Annalena Baerbock can’t say “no”.
Could not appear in person: Annalena Baerbock (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Federal Foreign Minister.
© NDR / Dietmar Gust
How far does Putin go? Up to the “Berlin Wall”, as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fears? Politicians and the military looked into the crystal ball of Anne Will and saw: nothing good. More cruelty. The Ukrainian ambassador called for direct Western intervention. There is no other way to stop Putin.
“All the people who die from today will also die because of you”: Volodymyr Zelenskyj was between anger and despair when NATO decided not to set up a no-fly zone over Ukraine. This sentence hit her in the heart, said Annalena Baerbock. But: “We still have to keep a cool head.” A no-fly zone would mean that NATO planes would have to shoot down Russian planes. A no-go for the West. “We cannot be responsible for this war spilling over into Poland and the Baltic states.”
Discussed at Anne Will:
- Annalena Bärbock (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Federal Foreign Minister
- Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (FDP), deputy parliamentary group leader
- Andriy MelnykAmbassador of Ukraine
- Egon Rammsformer NATO general
- Frans TimmermansExecutive Vice-President of the European Commission
For Andriy Melnyk, the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Allianz’s reluctance is hard to bear. No wonder in view of the many dead, injured and displaced people and the bombed cities in his homeland that were reduced to rubble and ash. “You have to help with everything you have,” he demanded. Since the legendary special session of the Bundestag a week ago, just 50,000 food packages have arrived from Germany. “More needs to be done.” But what exactly must and must not happen under any circumstances?
Fighter jets for Ukraine a serious option
A direct confrontation between NATO and Russia must be prevented at all costs, said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff. “When the world’s second largest nuclear power fights the world’s largest nuclear power, the United States, we are on the brink of nuclear war.” Melnyk’s defiantly apocalyptic reply: “They only delay him that way.”
According to Baerbock, fighter jets for Ukraine are an option that is apparently being seriously considered. The problem: Ukrainian pilots can only fly Russian Migs, which only Poland has, which in turn would need replacement fighter jets in order not to be left completely blank. This takes a while. According to ex-NATO General Ramms, the system difference also applies to anti-aircraft weapons. Ukrainians would have to be trained for weeks. And: “In Europe there is no nation that has these weapons in stock.” During the Cold War, the depots were full, now there is a gaping emptiness.
The people in the areas of Ukraine affected by war and violence need our help. the Foundation star works with local partner organizations that have been audited by us. We will forward your donation without deduction. This link will take you directly to our donation form.
So the question remains: What is stopping Putin? Frans Timmermans met the Russian in 1991 when he was still deputy mayor of St. Petersburg. “This man never backs down, it can only escalate,” is his assessment. Moscow will never succeed in controlling Ukraine, that is completely out of the question. The Kremlin would also come to this analysis, “they’re not stupid.” But there is no way out because Putin cannot withdraw. Timmermans expects the autocrat to face difficulties in his own country. From the citizens, who would all feel the sanctions – and from the power circles, which were looking for an exit strategy.
One billion euros for energy exports
Russia earns a billion euros for the export of gas, coal and oil – per day. “Putin has to finance this war, and he gets a billion every day,” said Andriy Melnyk and called for an energy boycott by Europe. Here, too, he received a rejection. You always have to consider who the boycott would affect more, Timmermans replied – the boycotted or the boycotting. “Our society must remain strong.” The EU is working flat out to diversify its energy sources. Discussions are being held with Qatar, Egypt and the USA, for example. Otherwise, the Dutchman’s concept for fossil independence from Russia is: an accelerated energy transition and atom to bridge the gap.
And all because of one old man’s imperial delusions of grandeur. Anne Will said at the beginning of the program that people had got used to not trusting Putin with everything. “Do you trust him,” she asked Annalena Baerbock, “that he will attack us?” The Foreign Minister’s answer: “The last ten days have shown that there are apparently no red lines.”