an just of course or the drilling national anthem played this man recently re elected president jimmy finkelstein meyer. and the 1400 delegates who helped have neil at be related to find return and the the continue our analysis sheer with her . she's international and melinda crane. i a pretty impassioned speech my, my estimates good. can you continue what you're saying? early deed, and clearly designed to send some messages to the audience abroad, as well as at home direct to direct appeals to present it put in don't under, under estimate the strength of democracies and remove the noose from around the neck of ukraine. a very that will undoubtedly be a headline from any other national papers he asked. so i wanted to express the solidarity of germany with it's e u, a nato allies. and he said there would be no stability in this country without

these alliances. that of course, is partly in response to some of the doubt that have been expressed abroad over the past 6 weeks. as many felt that the german chancellor, all of schultz from the same party as president cheyenne myers. but of course, president time are essentially suspends his party affiliation while he's president . but that feeling that chancellor schultz is not speaking out as clearly as he perhaps could. and should that there has been some doubt about whether germany really stands side by side when it's out with its allies when it comes to the tough package of sanctions. should russia invade and stone mar clearly here, making an effort to say those, those alliances are absolutely at the center of our foreign policy, and there is no daylight between us and our allies. and by the way, his 1st trip now after today's election on tuesday, he goes to latvia, one of the baltic republics,

which feels very much pressured by the events on the ukraine order. and in fact, he said, this threatens what we're seeing a, this is russia's, this is russia's threat entirely. they are the cause of this, and it threatens not only ukraine, but also easter neighbors. so he does go there to try to shore up that commitment. recognizing also germany's role as not only with diplomatic ties, but also engaged in deterrence efforts by nato in those baltic republicans. secondly, the whole message to the domestic audience about the threats to admit democracy here. both those coming from the pandemic and the skeptics on the pandemic. who have sometimes resorted to disinformation hate speech and violence. you'll remember the storming of the going to stop by some of them saying we must be able to express differences of opinion, but there is a red line and it's when we see hate and violence. so again,

very clear message there. and then finally, an additional risk that he mentioned going forward. that we face massive transformation not only through the pandemic, but of course through the changes in our energy systems through the new environmental policies that will require people to make major changes in the way that they live. and he talked about the fear and uncertainty that that's unleashing in many parts of germany and says that what is what he wants to put a priority on his 1st trip after he is in fact, then inaugurated into office in march will be to eastern germany, where many people do have the fear that he talked about, the fear that maybe their children are going to have. it is as good as they've had it. that may be germany as a whole is slipping behind because no region has seen more structural change than the east. no region has seen as many jobs fall away as the eastern part of germany after the fall, the vaults. and he says he wants to make that

a main priority going forward. okay, melinda crane are chief political editor. thank you so much for that insight on on frank walters time, our speech and we have nina has a, has been attending the election there at the buddhist egg. how. how, how did it all unfold for you though, dana? well, i've been listening to the speech by frank, fight us by a stone my. our old and new president together with newton meet. now he's a foreign policy expert for the social democrats and i have the opportunity now to discuss on fight. i stand my speech with him. so what did you make of this message that from fight i stein maya gave essentially, directly addressed to vladimir putin. don't underestimate the democracy's, wasn't it high time that such a sentence came from a high ranking german official? well, it was a very powerful speech, i must say. very seldom have you heard of fun for the fun, my distressing feet residency talking so directly to the current 1st in

international politics. this was quite a speech i must say. and i think that she has not only chosen to send a very strong signal to flogging approaching over to fries in ukraine. but he has also signaled us german citizens, that his 2nd term will be about democracy, but not only about democracy at home, but democracy abroad. um, so for the 1st time, all federal precedent has entered the fight over a democracy against a authoritarian regimes. so he has acknowledged that there is a systemic try re going on, and she wants to be part of this debate. and that's why he said very strong words about putin and russia, which was quite unexpected. i must say, now you yourself,

you're very familiar with the matter with the ins and outs of the this german path of trying to help resolve at this current crisis. you travel to lithuania last week, and do you get the feeling that this path forward and still trying to focus on diplomatic? is it going to work or is it high time that germany also speaks a bit more like the u. s. and cautions of a federal law. well, it's not our task to m to interpret intelligence m. so we now know that preparations are still going on and tensions are still high. the dangerous a silvery, a high at the training border for germany has followed a dual track approach, which means with a credible returns, we want to avoid war by stepping up efforts for diplomacy and for

a peaceful solution for the conflict. then i think that it's a very, a strong signal that would have throats with drug forgive and to moscow next week in order to bring about some progress in the non deform it. the only existing framework we have is the minsk agreement, which was by the way, a very much negotiated with the help of fund by the shy my at the time. and so we want to play this media to role as guarantor a state of demand searching them in the next weeks or so that we can avoid another military question of from russia against refrain. now how useful last question perhaps, is it for germany currently to have as it's old and new president, somebody who's as experienced as frank? i touched on my just mentioned he was foreign minister twice. so can you explain to us a bit how they're going to share their work at the president? can of course be

a lot more open than the general counselor can. that's true. and i think that we should be very glad that we have such a season statesman in our federal presidency, presidency a right now. and he's very much involved in international politics as well. and this really helps us, as we've seen today, because today was the federal president say, but he took this opportunity to speak up against russian that russian and this was quite unfamiliar for, for the president to botch. ty maya has the experience and has the reputation, which will be able to do that and that by once again, i can only repeat myself that she's the reichman at this office in this time. well, of course you're a member of the s p d and we all know that frank, right? i stayed my is also a member of the east as bds dang, out of party politics at the moment. but still thank you very much for this assessment. that was needed, smitty is

a foreign policy expert and from the social democrats highlighting, of course, this unusual speech by the old and new president of 15 dash dine. my. you have to remind a international of yours that usually the german president really does stay out of all the affairs that concern, the german chancellor more or the foreign minister. but frank by touched i may have felt that to day was a good day to remind everybody that germany was family on the side of its western allies. and that was, of course nina has a reporting for us from the bone to sag reaction to quite a powerful speech says i think they're all in agreement. and i turn out to melinda crane. are she political correspondent? how is that speech going to fit? is it a reflection of the challenges that frank folders on my face is as you move forward to think? i think it absolutely is and to and as nina mentioned, yes, this is the ceremonial ceremonial rule that the president plays. but from time to

time, the president does speak out about what he sees as imperative of the goals for the country. and one example of that was a predecessor of front felt a shy meyer, who said at the munich security conference, which is coming up shortly. the germany needs to play a much more active role in european and common security and defense policy going forward. that was back in 2014. many people would say that if anything germany has slipped behind since that time. and it's interesting to see funk about the stein myer here, surrounded by many members of his own party. yes, his party affiliation is suspended. he is not acting on behalf of the party yet that party has a fundamental challenge. and it is a challenge that also goes to the heart of germany's role at the moment in the ukraine. tensions it's this one of germany's former chancellor gerhard schroeder is the politician with whom frank thought there stein meyer worked for much of his

political career as chief of staff in mister showed as chancery. and this politician is, in fact now a lobbyist for the russian gas company gas prawn, the company that is strongly involved in the construction of the north stream to pipeline that pipeline has been at the heart of discussions between germany and its allies, about whether the pipeline should be put on hold in the face of russian aggression, or whether it's a purely private project in germany should maintain those commercial ties going forward. the big question is whether frank start the volunteer stein my has some kind of chance or opportunity to address this with some members of the party leadership, not as a member of the party, but as the president of germany. that question was put by a number of german journalists this morning to s p d leaders who were very, very cagey on the subject. but the strong message we heard today from frank about

the shine meyer clearly shows us that he views this foreign policy role as part of his current duties as president. he said some big challenges for himself. it sounds like a melinda crane are chief political correspondent. thanks so much that who on some other news now, the latest diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in ukraine have so far failed to ease tensions. on saturday, the american russian president spoke for an hour on the phone. afterwards. joe biden warren, that russia will face what he called swift and severe costs. if it invades ukraine, vladimir putin, for his part, has dismissed american warnings as hysteria. meanwhile, ukrainians have riley to support their government, which is calling for calm, even as many foreign nationals leave the country. a shoe of unity and ukraine's capital. the brave faces here, though belie growing fears about to rush an attack on their country.

what are we afraid? probably yes, i feel the anxiety inside me all those are already plotting their escape because i'm here for you with all don't and making plans for their children to with ukrainian forces cleaning near the black sea. these are been warfare exercises, hence the kind of unrest they are preparing for. president to lensky, however, cold for com heads to prevail. the best friend for enemies, that is penny in our country. and all these information details only for fanny doesn't help us during an hour long phone call on saturday. u. s. president joe

biden warned vladimir putin of swift and severe costs. if russia does invade perkins team accused the u. s. of unprecedented hysteria. the u. s. is taught diplomat antony blinking also spoke with his russian counterpart on our call for mr . lover off said that um russians are working on a response to the paper that we sent to moscow more than 2 weeks ago. proposing concrete areas for discussion. it remains to be seen of they'll fall through on that, but if they do, we'll be ready to engage on sunday contingency plans turned real u. s. staff at the organization for security and economic cooperation based in the rebel held city of done nets, were packing up and heading home. just the latest group to decide that the risk of all i wore is now too great. and your of course watching dw

news live from berlin, i'll be back at the top of the hour with more world news on next. spicer things to watch. stay informed. lawyer and demand podcast and language courses, video and audio. any time anywhere. the d. w media center of the battle against cove it the.