Germany on Russia: The tone was good, but the impact is highly doubtful

Germany’s government delivered its assessment of the attempted attack in Leipzig in a tone so restrained that it sounded almost detached from the gravity of the event. At a Berlin press conference on Tuesday evening, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul outlined the government’s findings on what they presented as the most serious attack on Germany in decades.

Their manner was strikingly matter-of-fact. The ministers spoke with the calm precision of officials discussing economic forecasts, rather than an attack that has become a major test of Germany’s response to Russia. The sober presentation suggested that Berlin understood the situation and had analyzed it correctly.

But that is also where the problem lies. A correct assessment alone does not amount to retaliation. The central criticism is that Germany has so far failed to impose a punishment that would give its conclusions practical force.

The result is a gap between words and consequences. Berlin’s tone may have been disciplined and its analysis convincing, but the response remains open to doubt because the promised or expected price for the attack has not materialized in any clear way.