German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is facing a shitstorm for her pledged continued support for Ukraine – regardless of the opinion of her “German voters”. However, a video of the statement shared on social media was cut. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin spoke about pro-Russian disinformation and waves on social networks: #BaerbockReturn was one of the most used hashtags in Germany on Thursday.
The criticism was prompted by statements Baerbock had made the day before during a panel discussion in Prague. There, the German minister explained in English that she had promised the Ukrainians to support them as long as necessary and that she therefore wanted to fulfill it.
And regardless of what their German voters think (“It doesn’t matter what my German voters think”).
However, during the Prague discussion, Baerbock also warned of a split in Western democracies. In this regard, she assured her solidarity with the people of Germany and with the people of Ukraine.
“Has no place in the ministry”
AfD chairman Alice Weidel called for Baerbock’s resignation: “Anyone who is expressly unconcerned about the interests of voters in Germany has no place in a ministerial position.” Shortly afterwards, she followed in a second tweet: “We have a diplomatic foreign minister who stands for German citizens and for negotiations and peace between #Russia and #Ukraine.”
MP Sevim Dagdelen also criticized a foreign minister acting on the motto “Ukraine first, citizens don’t care” was a “total failure”.
CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen wrote on Twitter about “fake heroism” because the majority of Germans were willing to support Ukraine.
The German Foreign Ministry released a Twitter comment from Peter Ptassek, the ministry’s commissioner for strategic communications. “The classic: distorted video edited together, amplified by pro-Russian accounts and the cyber-instant justice is done, ready-made misinformation,” he wrote. “Are we going to split up that cheaply? I do not think so.”
The criticism was shared Wednesday evening, including on Twitter, by an account that regularly distributed pro-Russian content during the war in Ukraine. This tweet was shared and liked thousands of times in just a few hours.
Baerbock himself has not (yet) responded to the criticism and the numerous calls for his resignation.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
