Olaf Scholz said he was ready yesterday to speak with Vladimir Putin “ When the time comes “. The Russian president, for his part, assured that he was open to dialogue. For now, we are far from a warming of relations between the two countries. Several hundred German officials will have to leave Russia in the coming days, Berlin said this morning.
They are diplomats, but also teachers in German schools in Russia, work in Goethe institutes in the country. Hundreds of German civil servants, mainly in culture or education, will leave the Russian federation around June 1, reports our correspondent in Berlin, Nathalie Versieux. ” This is a diplomatic declaration of war from Moscow “, regrets this morning the daily Suddeutsche Zeitung.
Following a recent reduction in the Russian intelligence presence in Germany, the Russian Foreign Ministry has set “ in April a ceiling for the number of diplomatic personnel and German public organizations allowed to stay in Russia, according to the German Foreign Ministry. “ This limit set by Russia from the beginning of June implies major cuts in all areas of presence German, according to the ministry. The latter did not give a figure on the number of people concerned, but a government source specified that information from the daily Suddeutsche Zeitungwhich speaks of several hundred people, were “ correct “. The German authorities have tried in recent weeks to get the Russian ministry to reverse its decision, but without success, according to the newspaper.
Dismissals of Russian diplomats to come
The announcement follows the expulsion by Berlin in early April of 30 Russian diplomats, accused of espionage. As early as April, the Russian Foreign Ministry had assured that Russia would not stop there. Moscow had in the process sent home dozens of political advisers and IT specialists working for the German Embassy.
And the crisis is not over. Berlin has already announced that it wants to ensure a “ balance “. This time, it is again Russian diplomats who will in turn have to pack their bags.
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(And with AFP)