Lavrov calls Germany’s 1990 reunification betrayal of East Germans
Lavrov noted that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to reunification after receiving assurances that NATO would not expand further eastward, promises that were later broken. He criticized the withdrawal of almost half a million Soviet troops without compensation and said the opportunity to maintain a presence in eastern Germany was ignored.
He further argued that West German authorities mishandled the integration of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), treating East Germans as “second-class people.”
According to Lavrov, the authorities took control of GDR lands, removed political figures, and offered no future to local leaders, calling it a “takeover, not a merger.”
Lavrov also linked Germany’s reunification to its current role in European Union militarization efforts, which Moscow interprets as a response to Russia rather than genuine security concerns.
He criticized statements by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, labeling some as “blatantly racist” and reminiscent of Nazi-era rhetoric, and referenced Merz’s maternal grandfather, a documented Nazi Party member, in his remarks.
The Russian minister framed Germany’s reunification and subsequent EU defense policies as acts of arrogance and contempt, reinforcing Moscow’s narrative that Western actions continue to undermine Russian security interests.
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