Historian Kowalczuk criticizes Steinmeier's trip to the Baltics

Berlin – In light of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's trip to Latvia and Lithuania on Sunday, historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk doubts that Steinmeier is the right man in the right place in the Baltics. He considers it "very appropriate if the Federal President, who has been one of our country's leading foreign policy makers over the past twenty years, would self-critically explain his misguided foreign policy toward Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Baltics," Kowalczuk told the "Tagesspiegel" (Sunday edition) about Steinmeier. He also believes it is appropriate to reexamine the Russia policies of the federal governments of the past twenty years to prevent such mistakes from being repeated, Kowalczuk said. "Federal President Steinmeier is standing in the way of this by exercising his office, because it would also be largely about him." The historian criticized: "I don't have the impression that he himself is dealing with this in a particularly reflective manner. As recently as 2016, Steinmeier himself spoke of saber-rattling and war cries in connection with NATO maneuvers in the Baltic Sea." This led to dismay in the Baltic states. "The Federal President is not credible on these issues. He is not the right man in the right place." Kowalczuk said he hoped that this trip would reinforce the impression among the Latvian and Lithuanian public that Germany is serious about its alliance commitment and its support for Ukraine. "However, I have my doubts as to whether Steinmeier, who has been largely responsible for this misguided policy since the early 2000s, is the right man for this," the historian said.