US Consul General praises German Ukraine aid – and Minister Baerbock

FOCUS online: Mr. Consul General, the topic of German-American relations is particularly exciting these days. As someone who has known both countries and their relations very, very well for many years, what would you say: where do we stand today?

Timothy Liston: I always say that a long-standing political relationship is almost like a very intimate marriage. We’ve been friends for so long. Are there any problems? Of course, every now and then. But in the end we still really like each other.

What do you attribute that to?

I always say to Joe Hilbert, the general in charge of US forces in Bavaria: You gave me 20,000 diplomats. By that I mean the US soldiers stationed here. You deal with German citizens every day, you share everyday life with them. This creates trust, understanding and of course has a major impact on the entire relationship.

But is the relationship really that good? After all, the Germans took their time with the support of Ukraine…

Would the US government have wished for this to happen more quickly? Yes, that may be. But the US government was in very close contact with Germany from the start of the war. Our Foreign Minister Blinken speaks to Minister Baerbock every week. Mr. Scholz was just in the United States with President Biden.

Biden has said it several times: Germany is one of our most important partners, if not the most important partner in the world, especially here in Europe. And we don’t underestimate what Germany has already achieved. Germany is number three in the world when it comes to humanitarian and military aid.

“We want to uphold the international legal order”

Chancellor Scholz has so far avoided saying that Ukraine must win this war, unlike Joe Biden. Does the US government expect more clarity here?

Chancellor Scholz has said several times how important it is that we stick together and support Ukraine. The Ukrainians must be able to make the important decisions for their country, as Chancellor Scholz says. How he says it is up to him. But we know where we stand. And we stand together with the Germans on the side of Ukraine.

Besides Russia, China is another major player of great concern. How does the US government view the Far East?

China is a very complicated country in global strategic competition, and recent aggressive statements, such as on Taiwan, are a cause for concern. We want to uphold the international legal order, and China obviously doesn’t want that.

But China is an enormously important trading partner for the USA and for Germany. How do we deal with this country?

We must somehow get out of the confrontation with China. China is part of the world economy. But we shouldn’t sacrifice our common values, our system, for this. We want stability and so far we have also made that clear to China. For example in relation to Ukraine.

“We see great potential for US companies in Bavaria and in Germany as a whole”

The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock verbally takes much tougher action than was usual from the Merkel government, also towards China. Does the US government approve of this type of communication?

So what Minister Baerbock said about respecting human rights, about democracy and freedom of the press, we are completely in agreement. We have these common values, which also includes clear language.

You mentioned the US military sites in Bavaria. Under President Trump, it looked as if the US wanted to station fewer rather than more soldiers in Germany. How is it today, what are the prospects for the German locations?

For exact figures, I must refer you to our Secretary of Defense. But I can say this much: Bavaria is and will remain one of our most important bases. Here we have our largest and most important NATO training ground. Here NATO soldiers are training with Ukrainians on artillery. Germany as a country will remain an important location, whether it’s Grafenwoehr or Ramstein, Spangdahlem or Kaiserslautern, Wiesbaden or Stuttgart.

There is always criticism of the conditions for companies to invest here in Germany. For example because of the high taxes. Is this criticism justified?

I’ll answer as a typical American and name a few positive aspects: Germany has an excellent education system and offers a highly qualified workforce. That’s why a company like Apple has just invested a billion euros in the European research center here in Munich. So we really see great potential for US companies in Bavaria and in Germany as a whole.

The USA will support Germany with liquid gas

In Germany, the fight against climate change is being discussed very controversially, actions such as the climate sticker are causing a stir. As an American, how do you view this debate?

We have the same goal, to somehow fight climate change, to leave our children a world that is not destroyed. And yes, we don’t have a movement whose members stick to the streets. But we also have a very, very passionate young generation that cares about the climate and the environment and is seriously committed to it.

But there are big differences in implementation. The USA continues to rely on fossil energy, Germany wants to get out as soon as possible.

Yes, Germany has taken a different path, for example by phasing out nuclear power. We continue to rely on this technology and try to develop it further. We are also in a different situation in terms of energy policy and are not so dependent on other countries because we ourselves produce gas through fracking and have oil fields. But that puts us in a position to help Germany in the energy crisis, for example with liquid gas. Ultimately we have to work together – in the energy crisis and in the climate crisis.