German FM to urge Russia dialogue during US visit

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said she plans to reiterate the value of dialogue with Russia to avoid a conflict over Ukraine when she meets her US counterpart in her Washington visit.

"With regard to Russia, the common message from Europeans and the US government is clear: Russian actions come with a clear price tag, and the only way out of the crisis is through dialogue," Baerbock said in a statement on Wednesday just ahead of her first official visit to Washington, where she is due to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"We are entering a decisive phase in which important talks at different levels are imminent," she added. "And even if the formats of the talks vary, our messages as transatlantic partners to the government in Moscow are always the same."

The current visit to the US by Germany's top diplomat, which will involve her second meeting with Blinken, comes amid rising tensions between the member nations of the US-led NATO military alliance and Russia over Ukraine and Western allegations of a Russian troop build-up on the Ukraine border aimed at staging a potential invasion of its neighbor.

This is while US and Russian officials are due to hold security talks on January 10 in Geneva and NATO has scheduled a meeting of allied ambassadors and top Russian officials for January 12.

"The more difficult the times are, the more important strong partnerships are — and as Europeans, we have no partner stronger than the US," she said. "With my trip to Washington, I want to make it very clear [...] what great importance we attach to trans-Atlantic relations," Baerbock further stated.

German-US ties hit a comparatively low point during the last US administration of Donald Trump, who was often seen as snubbing traditional allies. The current US government headed by Joe Biden has repeatedly said it wants to restore such alliances to their former status.

Despite Baerbock's assertion of trans-Atlantic unity in response to Russia, the pipeline Nord Stream 2, which is intended to carry Russian gas to Europe, may prove to be a point of contention.

The US has long opposed the project, claiming that it could lead to over-reliance on Russia for energy needs, though it eventually reached an agreement with Germany on how it could acceptably go ahead.

Nord Stream pipeline to be suspended if Russia escalates in Ukraine, warns Germany

Germany

Baerbock's own party, the Greens, shares the US reservations, but its coalition partners, the Social Democrats, have always been among the pipeline's strongest advocates.

Germany is also becoming ever more reliant on imported energy as it shuts down its nuclear and coal facilities.

Baerbock also spoke about the storming of the US Capitol last January by pro-Trump rioters protesting the electoral defeat of the former president in November 2020.

Noting that her visit comes a day before the anniversary of the incident, Baerbock stated that she would discuss with Pelosi ways of defending democracy from external and internal threats.

"And what is decisive with these issues, too, is that we will only be successful if we tackle the challenges together as partners," she underlined, adding, "This includes strengthening democratic institutions in our own countries as well and making it more visible what enormous value they have for our lives."

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