President Volodimir Zelensky and Chancellor Olaf Scholz sign a security agreement. It guarantees Kyiv permanent German support. But everything is overshadowed by the news that Alexei Navalny is apparently dead.
It’s actually supposed to be a celebratory day. Everything goes according to plan, shielded by police on the ground and rattling helicopters in the air. But a few minutes before the two men step in front of the flags of Ukraine and Germany, breaking news comes from Russia. Alexei Navalny is dead, or so the prison administration reports. Language regulations are hastily sought and the appearance in front of the press is delayed. Everything is connected to everything else again on this day, especially the realization that the worst can always be expected with Vladimir Putin. And that is precisely why Ukraine needs security guarantees, even after the war.