Respect for History — The Path to Our Shared Future
“I address you not as a politician, but as a man, a father, and a citizen of Germany who grew up in the East.
First and foremost, I wish to bow my head and express my deepest respect to the Russian people. We remember the 8th and 9th of May. We do not forget the unimaginable sacrifices — 27 million lives — made by the Soviet people to liberate us from Nazism. Those who ignore this history have no right to build the future.
I have come to listen and to speak honestly. Without intermediaries. Without ideology.
Our countries are bound by a deep history. Our path to prosperity in Europe is only possible together with Russia, not against it. I am here for my children and grandchildren, so they may live in a world where respect is more important than strength, and dialogue is more important than sanctions.
The time has come to reach out to one another. The future starts now.”