Again and again, politicians in the West emphasize that the Russian president, that Putin alone bears the responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, people are also showing hostility towards people of Russian origin in Europe. This must stop, says the Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs. "The Kremlin and its actions do not embody the Russian people. This is Putin's war. The Russian people are trapped in a war led by the Kremlin." -mb

Katrin Rulle

Jean Asselborn is the longest serving foreign minister in the European Union - and reviews the continent's history for the audience at the symposium. "When I see the pictures of bombed cities, columns of Russian tanks and civilians who are fleeing for their lives, it makes me think back to what Luxembourg experienced during the Second World War," says Asselborn. He says these were painful experiences that have deeply shaped his country. The war in Ukraine brings all these memories to the surface again. And he comments that right up until the last moment, he had thought that there would not be an invasion. -mb

Katrin Rulle