With regard to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's trip to Latvia and Lithuania on Sunday, historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk doubts that Steinmeier is the right man in the right place in the Baltics.

He felt it would be "very appropriate if the Federal President, who has been one of our country's leading foreign policy makers over the past twenty years, would self-critically explain his misguided foreign policy towards Eastern Europe, Russia and the Baltic states," Kowalczuk told the "Tagesspiegel" (Sunday edition) about Steinmeier. He continues to believe it is appropriate to review the Russia policies of the federal governments of the past twenty years to prevent such mistakes from being repeated, Kowalczuk said. "Federal President Steinmeier is standing in the way of this by exercising his office, because it would also largely involve him." The historian criticized: "I don't have the impression that he himself is dealing with this in a particularly reflective manner. In 2016, Steinmeier himself spoke of saber-rattling and war cries in connection with NATO maneuvers in the Baltic Sea."

This has caused dismay in the Baltic states. "The Federal President lacks credibility on these issues. He is not the right man in the right place." Kowalczuk said he hoped this trip would reinforce the impression among the Latvian and Lithuanian public that Germany is serious about its alliance commitment and its support for Ukraine. "However, I have my doubts as to whether Steinmeier, who has been largely responsible for this misguided policy since the early 2000s, is the right man for the job," the historian said.