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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Annalena Baerbock

Russia’s war on Ukraine has forced us in Germany to think differently about our role in the world

Soldier's uniform with German flag and EU patch
‘What has fundamentally changed in the face of Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine is the way we perceive threats to our own security, at the heart of Europe.’ Photograph: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

An ability to surprise is not, perhaps, the first thing people typically associate with Germans. But looking at the direction our country has taken since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, maybe we Germans have managed to surprise even ourselves.

Only two years ago, billions of cubic metres of gas arrived from Russia to Germany through Nord Stream 1 and other pipelines. Russian fossil fuels made up a large share of our energy consumption. Today, we’ve cut this down to zero.

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