FM Baerbock parroting all the lines of NATO's Stoltenberg and/or US Secretary Blinken. Must have been a real exchange of thoughts to advance diplomacy.

Green vs. Grise in Moscow as Germany's new foreign minister Annalena Baerbock more than held her own against Russia's Sergey Lavrov. [_link]

— David M. Herszenhorn (@herszenhorn) January 18, 2022

Germany's Baerbock faces down top Russian diplomat Lavrov in Moscow | Politico EU |

Baerbock, who was making her first visit to the Russian capital as foreign minister from the Green party in Germany's new governing coalition, maintained steely composure throughout the encounter as she accused Russia of refusing to adhere to common rules, and challenged Lavrov on the jailing of the political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the shuttering of Memorial, a venerable human rights organization. 

If she was at all intimidated by her far more seasoned and senior host, Baerbock did not let on. 

Her opening statement lasted nearly a minute longer than Lavrov's, and she closed her prepared remarks by delivering a bit of a lecture about the obligations of public officials to maintain peace and security for their citizens, an unmistakable poking at Russia for threatening further war against Ukraine. 

"We, who bear political responsibility, have no more important duty than to protect our people -- especially from war and violence," she said. "I am convinced that we can achieve this best through successful talks, not against each other but with each other." 

....
Baerbock was also firm in insisting that Moscow was responsible for the recent security tensions and destabilization of relations. 

"I came with a thick discussion folder," she said. "It is thick because there is a whole range of topics where we have major, sometimes fundamental, differences of opinion. But it is also thick because there are so many issues where we see opportunities for more cooperation." 

At several points, she stressed that Germany was a trading nation that relied on stability to do business.

"We have an even more fundamental interest in maintaining the European peace order, in which equal and binding rules apply to all, and on which all could rely. There will be no security in our common house of Europe if there are not common rules on which all can always refer to and rely on -- be it in the exchange of economy, be it in the exchange of culture, be it in friendships, be it in families or even in the exchange of our two countries." 

So Baerbock came to the Kremlin and lectured 72 year old Lavrov ... nice, what did she achieve?? ... I'm certain she has not invited Lavrov to Berlin for further talks. The Soviet Army was first in the Nazi capital to free Europe from fascism ... losing over 20 million citizens. Did Baerbock pay her respects to any Soviet War Memorial?

'Sapere aude'