In TV discussions, Marina Henke comments on Germany’s position on Ukraine-Russia conflict

Marina Henke, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Centre for International Security at the Hertie School, took part in a TV debate on 1 February, commenting on what role Germany should play in the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. Germany has come under fire from allies for its failure to take a strong stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin amid a build-up of Russian troops on the Ukranian border.

In “Phoenix Runde”, a political discussion format on German public television, Henke said: “This is not just about Ukraine, but about a conflict in which a democracy is standing up to a dictatorship. And Germany has to position itself very clearly and ask, ‘Who do I stand with?’ I think Germany owes that to its own past, owes it to the European idea, to the European Union, to the European community of values, that we stand up for a democracy and take a very clear position  – also regarding the human rights abuses, the tactics in Russia that take place."

Further talking points encompass the "transition through trade" policy during the cold war, the eastward expansion of the NATO, and the link between human rights and the military.

On 2 February, Henke also commented on Germany's energy quandary over Russian company Gazprom. "It is a political project of Russia. Gazprom is a political corporation. And you can see in the various actions of Gazprom in the past that it can also be used as a weapon", she said on ARD morgenmagazin, one of Germany's major morning shows. Germany's future energy security is dependent on the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, a common project with Gazprom.

Watch the full discussion on phoenix here.

Her comment on ARD can be found here.

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