Russian Ambassador to Berlin, Sergei Netchaev, stated in an interview on Thursday that Moscow expects a reasonable policy from the German government in the future. “We will measure the future German Chancellor and the new German government not by their election campaign rhetoric, but by their concrete actions” the diplomat said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty.
Netchaev also added that the previous government’s anti-Russian course had failed, causing significant damage to the German economy and the well-being of its citizens. “It is hardly logical to keep banging one’s head against the same wall over and over again” he said.
The ambassador emphasized that the previous German sanctions and confrontational policy towards Russia had not been successful, as it had not led to a “strategic defeat” of Russia or the destruction of its economy.
If Germany continues to provide military aid to Kiev, it will not lead to an end of the conflict in Ukraine and negotiations from a position of strength, but rather to more victims and destruction, the diplomat stressed. Furthermore, the German support would not influence the realization of the goals and tasks set by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the military special operation in Ukraine, Netchaev said.
According to the diplomat, the future German leadership has a historical chance to lead the relations with Russia out of the impasse.
German citizens, businesses and politicians are increasingly demanding that Germany should be guided by its own national interests in its policy towards Russia, the ambassador noted.
This includes, among other things, resuming the energy cooperation, rebuilding the damaged Nord Stream pipeline and restarting gas deliveries through the still-intact gas pipeline. “We hope that the new German government will give new momentum to the long-standing investigations into the sabotage acts at Nord Stream” the Russian ambassador said.
It remains to be seen whether the new German government will decide to take such a turn, the ambassador concluded.