Ambassador in Moscow – there is hardly a more difficult post for a German diplomat at the moment. Alexander Graf Lambsdorff now holds the position, and he was greeted with equally serious accusations.
Diplomacy has a lot to do with the choice of words – and the Russian side made it clear to the new German ambassador in Moscow on his first day at work that it would not be an easy task: Alexander Graf Lambsdorff handed in his credentials at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow and was met with severe reproaches welcomed against Germany.
The Russian side has criticized the “confrontational and unfriendly character” of German policy in bilateral relations, the ministry said. Germany’s “anti-Russian policy” is destroying decades of mutually beneficial cooperation; there is an “unreasonable Russophobia”.
Russia: German weapons shipments dangerous
Germany severely restricted relations with Russia last year and stopped importing gas in response to Russia’s illegal attack on Ukraine. In addition, Germany supports international sanctions against Russia and supports Ukraine, among other things, with arms deliveries. According to Lambsdorff, the Russian Foreign Ministry called German support for Ukraine and arms deliveries dangerous.
If necessary in the forest, so as not to be overheard
The political situation is extremely difficult and views on Ukraine “couldn’t be more different,” Lambsdorff said in an interview with ZDF. Nevertheless, he counts “on the professional contacts to the representatives of the Russian government”. Diplomatic relations are “the backbone of everything”.
Lambsdorff described his most important task as providing the federal government with an analysis of Russian politics. “If you’re not there, you won’t notice when something changes.” Lambsdorff also expects to be bugged. He will therefore not discuss important topics in the office, but instead, for example, on a walk in the woods. However, he has resolved not only to face the surveillance with caution, but also with composure.
Lambsdorff succeeds Géza Andreas von Geyr in Moscow. He completed diplomatic training at the Federal Foreign Office. Among other things, he worked in the planning staff of the Federal Foreign Office and in the press staff of the German Embassy in Washington. From 2003 to 2004 he worked as a country officer for Russia in the German Foreign Ministry. Lambsdorff is internationally well-connected. From 2004 to 2017 he was a member of the European Parliament for the FDP, and from 2014 to 2017 he was also its vice president. Lambsdorff has been in the Bundestag since 2017 and gave up his mandate on August 7th.