Annalena Baerbock insists Europe should make it clear to President Trump that failure to back “liberal democracies” will come at a price
Europe should not hesitate to put pressure on the US if it fails to fall in line with “liberal democracies,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday. The diplomat made the remark following talks between the US and Russia that excluded representatives from the EU and Ukraine.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Potsdam on Friday, the Green politician stated, “We’re increasing pressure on the Americans [so they know] they have a lot to lose if they don’t stand on the side of Europe’s liberal democracies.”
With respect to European-US relations, Baerbock warned against drawing any precipitous conclusions, remarking that “nothing has been decided there.”
The minister called for a second “turning point,” referring to a term German Chancellor Olaf Scholz coined shortly after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February of 2022, advocating for Europe to take a more proactive and assertive approach.
The official insisted that “no one can decide about war and peace for the Ukrainians or us Europeans, and this is the clear German stance.” Baerbock also warned against forcing Kiev into a “phony peace” or “capitulation,” which she said would only invite further “war and violence.”
DETAILS TO FOLLOW