Statement of the 25th February 2022

The Russian attack on Ukraine is a grave breach of international law with no justification whatsoever. There must be serious consequences. By its actions, Russia has turned its back on the international community.

For the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) this means that the existing, long-standing cooperation in science and research as well as in vocational education and training is being halted immediately, even though this cooperation is fundamentally in the interests of both sides and contributes to the solution of global challenges such as climate change. All current and planned activities with Russia are being frozen and subjected to critical review. There will be no new activities until further notice. We are coordinating our position in light of the developments with the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Chancellery on an ongoing basis.

This also applies accordingly to the cooperation with Belarus.