Germany will stand up to Russian intimidation, says foreign minister

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister vowed on Tuesday that her country would not be intimidated by Russia’s new nuclear deterrent policy, saying the mistakes of the past would not be repeated.

Annalena Baerbock told a news conference in Poland that Berlin will now heed the warnings of partners that border Ukraine. She was attending a meeting of foreign ministers of Poland, Germany, France and Italy on the 1,000th day since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Baerbock said Germany and its partners “will not be intimidated” while “Putin is playing with our fear.”

“He didn’t just start doing this 1,000 days ago. He started back in 2014,” Baerbock said.

“And Germany in particular made the mistake back then, especially politically, of allowing itself to be intimidated by this fear and, above all, not listening to its partners, especially our Eastern European partners, who made it clear at the time: We must not rely on promises from the Kremlin. We must invest in our own security and protection.”

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.

It follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles.

Baerbock said Putin is seeking to divide Europe, but was “bitterly mistaken.”

The foreign ministers held talks about stepping up Europe’s military support for Ukraine as well as ties with the United States under Donald Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20.

Trump says he expects Europe to make a greater effort for its own defense in the face of Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said the meeting “agreed that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security, and that includes a more balanced sharing of the burdens among NATO members.”

The ministers said their meeting was an expression of unity and solidarity with Ukraine. They observed a minute of silence in memory of the Ukrainian victims.

Also attending the meeting was the European Union’s upcoming chief of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas. For “logistical reasons,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha could not attend in person, Sikorski said.

The meeting was prompted by Russia’s intensified missile strikes on Ukraine and by Trump’s presidential election win and the changes in trans-Atlantic relations it may bring, Sikorski added.