It’s always possible to make more money, is probably still Vladimir Putin’s motto. Now, according to CNN, the Russian President wants to use the USA to free the “Tiergarten killer”. This should make clear what Moscow has always denied: the convicted murderer Vadim Krassikov from Chechnya was on an official Russian mission in Berlin as a secret service agent.
It doesn’t matter whether the inclusion of the man sentenced to life imprisonment in a deal to release two Americans in the USA was ever considered or not: Germany should make it clear quickly and unequivocally that the Federal Republic is not available for such deals. Never.
It would be a historical joke if Putin could send murderers to Germany and act freely again shortly thereafter. An absurdity in a country that prides itself on its independent judiciary and demands a transparent legal system all over the world.
A solution must be found for the two detained US citizens, yes, that is correct. But another. And allies must not be played off against one another by such a dirty deal attempt.
If an exchange in Berlin were even considered, it would also be an invitation to all sorts of other despots.
