Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock meets with German civilan experts in Ukraine

The German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is currently travelling to assess possibilities for dialogue and diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine. Before arriving in Moscow, Baerbock came to Kyiv to meet her Ukrainian colleague for her first official visit.

Her first stop in Kyiv, however, was a visit to the headquarters of the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) and a meeting with a group of German civilian experts seconded by ZIF. The Minister took the opportunity to learn about the mission’s tasks as well as share experiences, discuss and assess the implementation of the mission’s mandate. She thanked the representatives of the German contingent and emphasized the importance of their service and commitment, not merely during these difficult times. Afterwards, Baerbock met with the SMM’s Head of Mission and visited the Technical Monitoring Centre.

The official visit by the Federal Foreign Minister in the country of deployment shows the appreciation and acknowledgement for the service of civilian experts. On behalf of the Federal Foreign Office, ZIF currently seconds 43 German experts to the SMM’s headquarter in Kyiv as well as to field offices along the contact line in Eastern Ukraine. It is Germany’s largest contribution of civilian experts to an International Peace Operation. Moreover, the German Antje Grawe serves as the Deputy Head of Mission.

Learn more about the Peace Operations in Ukraine on our page or the mission’s website.