35 kilometers. This is the route between Potsdam and Berlin. I know them well, I drive them every day. In the meantime, I work on the phone thinking about my kids. Living in freedom.
35 kilometers – this is also the distance from Kyiv after Buczań. A place like Potsdam, in the middle of Europe – with playgrounds and shopping centers. But these are now dated on the roads in Bucha War drawn. When Russian soldiers arrived in early March, people looked into the abyss of hell.
Butsch was released. But the attack on Ukraine continues. It is also directed against the European peace order. It is directed against our lives at large in Vilnius, Krakow and Potsdam. That is why we Europeans are united against the brutal Russian war of aggression.
38th day of war: In Odessa, there are two women, dressed in bathrobes against the cold. In the background, fuel depots burned by rockets in an industrial area near the port Photo: Petros Giannakouris / AP
After 100 days of war, Putin changed his strategy. But hell continues.
He underestimated the courage of the Ukrainians.
That’s why he now fires from a safe distance. Village after village, city after city. First there is a rain of fire from bombs and artillery, then the tanks roll on the flat ground. Putin counts on persistence and on our exhaustion. And each village faces the fate of Bucza.
That is why we must continue to support Ukraine now. Even with a gun, because Putin it is impossible to stop with words.
100 days war. Right now we have to watch – even if it hurts.
Some in our country still remember the war. Many still know what dictatorship means. We also thank our allies and neighbors for the fact that we can live in freedom and security today.
Day 40 of the war: A hand and a shoe on the sand in Bucza. Civilians were murdered by Putin’s henchmen. “Unfortunate Barbarians”, titled BILDPhoto: Giorgos Moutafis
We have a responsibility to act as the largest country in the EU.
I just don’t want to be able to tell our partners in the Baltic and Eastern Europe: “We understand you.” But: “We are there. You can count on us”. Just as they were there when we needed them. Without them, a united, free Germany would not exist.
That is why Germany is operating. Even if it is difficult. But we will never let go of our collective security again, we will take care of it. Together with our partners in the EU and NATO, we are reorganizing our defense.
One thing’s for sure: peace doesn’t come for free. But every cent we spend is an investment in security and freedom, in the freedom of Europe.
As long as Ukraine is not safe, Europe is not safe either. If Putin is not detained in Ukraine, there will always be a threat of new aggression.
We will continue to support Ukraine. Until Butschas is left. So that what we take for granted becomes normal again for the people of Ukraine: living in freedom.
* Annalena Baerbock (41, Greens) is the Federal Foreign Minister