Dmitriev Was Very Dovish Towards Germany In His Recent Interview

Unlike a growing number of influential Russians, he sees Germany not as a latent threat, but as a future partner once again in the event that it convinces Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass.

Putin’s Special Envoy for talks with the US Kirill Dmitriev recently gave an interview to Germany’s Berliner Zeitung about his peace efforts and the role that Germany could play therein. He began by referencing how Zelensky earlier said how the US offered to give Ukraine “security guarantees” if it withdrew from Donbass, which an RT contributor recently described as the quid pro quo for Russia to cease hostilities per the “Spirit of Anchorage”. He then said that “I think there is a realistic solution on the table.”

In Dmitriev’s words, “If Ukraine accepts it, peace will come immediately. And basically, more and more people are understanding this”, thus lending credence to speculation about the “Spirit of Anchorage”. He then expressed hope for a more “realistic” European position in a hint that Russia wants the Europeans to convince Ukraine into withdrawing from Donbass after Trump hitherto hasn’t even tried to do so. That would then justify the EU’s reported interest in playing a role in reviving the stalled peace process.

A potential motive for doing so could be to resume business, and particularly energy, ties with Russia. Dmitriev touched upon exactly this when mentioning “the economic crisis following the Iran conflict” and explicitly assessing that “I think energy is becoming a major issue.” He then directly addressed the scenario of Germany leading Europe’s efforts by predicting that “if Germany and Russia cooperated, they would form one of the strongest economic powers the world has ever known.”

He elaborated that “The combination of German technology, the Russian people, and Russian raw materials would be a tremendous force” but also warned that “We feel there have been many efforts to separate us. In fact, there have been many efforts to prevent Russia and Germany from cooperating.” If Germany’s role in the peace process was successful, then the economic malaise that it’s nowadays experiencing due to the sanctions could end, with the assumption being that they’d then be lifted.

What’s notable about Dmitriev’s interview is just how different his approach towards Germany is from Deputy Chair of the Security Council and former President Dmitry Medvedev after the latter warned last month about the 1941-like threat posed by Germany’s remilitarization. This coincided with several other critical pieces about Germany from two prominent Russian thinkers, Dmitri Trenin and Fyodor Lukyanov, thus making it seem like Germany might soon replace the US as Russia’s perceived top adversary.

It also shouldn’t be forgotten that “The Brits, French, & Germans Are Now Right On Russia’s Doorstep”, and just as concerning or perhaps even more so, “Germany’s New Military Patronage Of Ukraine Is A Crucial Part Of Its Grand Strategy” for becoming the EU’s hegemon without firing a shot. As explained here, “Both the anti-Russian and anti-Polish manifestations of Ukrainian nationalism also serve German interests”, which is why Germany always supported this trend despite having the power to curtail it.

The preceding two paragraphs show that the hawkish approach towards Germany isn’t without substance, but Dmitriev’s dovish one isn’t either since it’s true that Germany and Russia “would form one of the strongest economic powers the world has ever known” if they enter into a rapprochement. It’s precisely for that game-changing reason that the US will likely pull out all the stops, including in coordination with top regional ally Poland’s like-minded conservative forces, to prevent this.