Germany’s Response to the Ukraine Crisis | Ambassador John Kornblum

The Tennessee World Affairs Council in association with the American Council on Germany and Belmont University Center for International Business, and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce GLOBAL TOWN HALL Germany’s Response to the Ukraine Crisis Ambassador John Kornblum Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs February 1, 2022 @ 10:00 a.m. CT with Dr. Liana Fix Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund Washington office And Moderator Dr. Steven E. Sokol President, American Council on Germany This special event is free but please consider becoming a member or making a donation when you register. Thank you. When President Joe Biden met the press on January 19th he was candid when addressing consequences for Russia if it attacked Ukraine. “It depends on what [Putin] does as to what extent we’re going to be able to get total unity on the NATO front.” The White House quickly cleaned up what he “meant” to say. In the days since official statements continue to stress NATO solidarity but questions remain. For example British aircraft carrying weapons to Ukraine flew “around” Germany sparking media questions about Berlin being onboard for support to Kiev, despite Defense Ministry denials it restricted the flights. That was followed by the resignation of Germany’s Navy chief over controversial remarks about the threat to Ukraine. Writing for the Center for European Policy Analysis, Oxana Schmies spoke of “Germany’s paralyzing fear of war,” and warned that for the new government it was “worryingly clear that forging a united Russia policy is difficult and marred by underlying disagreement. [Link] As the prospects of Russian provocation and action against Ukraine reach the boiling point it’s a fair question to ask where Germany "is," as the United States and allies lean forward in deterrence and preparation for response. To address this question we turn to Ambassador John Kornblum, preeminent authority on America’s relationship with Europe, and Germany in particular. Ambassador John C. Kornblum has a long record of service in the United States and Europe both as a diplomat and as a businessman. He is recognized as an eminent expert on U.S.-European political and economic relations, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 1997 to 2001. Before that, he occupied a number of high-level diplomatic posts, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European affairs, Special Envoy for the Dayton Peace Process, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Process), Deputy U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and U.S. minister and deputy commandant of forces in divided Berlin. The conversation will be guided by the President of the American Council on Germany, Steven Sokol.