VLAD WHO?:

Standing next to Annalena Baerbock, his new German counterpart, at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov, the éminence grise of world diplomacy, seemed, well, a bit gray, a bit grumbly, and a tad more tiresome than his usually fearsome self.  [...]

Meanwhile, Baerbock, who was making her first visit to the Russian capital as foreign minister from the Green party in Germany's new governing coalition, maintained steely composure throughout the encounter as she accused Russia of refusing to adhere to common rules, and challenged Lavrov on the jailing of the political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the shuttering of Memorial, a venerable human rights organization. 

If she was at all intimidated by her far more seasoned and senior host, Baerbock did not let on. 

Her opening statement lasted nearly a minute longer than Lavrov's, and she closed her prepared remarks by delivering a bit of a lecture about the obligations of public officials to maintain peace and security for their citizens, an unmistakable poking at Russia for threatening further war against Ukraine. 

"We, who bear political responsibility, have no more important duty than to protect our people -- especially from war and violence," she said. "I am convinced that we can achieve this best through successful talks, not against each other but with each other." 

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