Page 2 - GC-May-June-2026

PERSPECTIVES How Germany Where the countryside
supports Ukraine
Russian troops invaded Ukraine lives and breathes
on Feb. 24, 2022. Even before the
Russian war of aggression, Germa- any Germans dream of country life. More are currently moving from
Mthe cities to the countryside than the other way round – at any rate,
ny was a strong and reliable partner
By Martin Ederer for Ukraine. In the meantime, it has in the age group of 30 to 50-year-olds. Here we present three very different
regions.
Here we are, 250 years into become one of the country’s most
the grand American experiment important allies. Besides state sup- Brandenburg
port, there has been huge assistance The main reason for Brandenburg’s attractiveness is Berlin. The federal
in representative democracy. state encloses the German capital. In Berlin, salaries are rather low com-
from NGOs and numerous dona-
Some of our ideas and experi- pared with other large cities, there are hardly any cheap flats, and the cost
tions from civil society, twinned
ments have landed well, but others have not. Probably the cities and associations. of living is high. Germany’s biggest city’s environs, on the other hand, are
quieter, greener and less expensive. The trend towards working from home
biggest challenge has been reconciling slavery with the heady How is Germany supporting
Enlightenment rhetoric of democracy and the liberty it would Ukraine? in Germany makes the longer commute to work more bearable for many.
The German government is pro- This has consequences: real estate prices in the surrounding area have
seem to imply. We are still living with that troubled legacy. recently risen much more sharply than in Berlin itself.
viding Ukraine with extensive sup-
Perhaps the bigger fears currently surround what seems to “We wanted more quiet, more living space and more green all around,”
port to help it repel the Russian war
be growing “creativity” with our structures and institutions of aggression. After the US, Germa- said Rebecca Lina, mother, actress, fashion designer, blogger.
from both major parties. Plato and Aristotle disagreed on a lot ny is the biggest donor country – in
of things, but as figures who both witnessed the meltdown of political, financial, military and hu-
manitarian terms. In total, the Ger-
Athenian democracy under the strain of the Great Peloponne-
man state has made bilateral
sian War, they did generally agree that at some point citizens
assistance worth around 94 billion
get too selfish and dismissive of the common good to be able euros available since the beginning
to rule themselves in a disciplined and statesmanlike way. The of the Russian war of aggression –
result is creeping tyranny. in the form of humanitarian support,
direct payments or weapons. The
Once democracy gets bent out of shape enough, frightened
support is provided by the compe-
and frustrated people often vote their way into undemocratic
tent ministries. The assistance is so
solutions, as events of the early decades of the twentieth broad-ranging that all 16 ministries
century in Europe should remind us. These are all good things are involved. An up-to-date over-
to think about as the United States nears its semiquincentennial view can be found here.
Civilian assistance for Ukraine
this year.
The lion’s share of support in
Ukraine itself is provided by the
VIEWPOINT Federal Foreign Office in the form Spreewald Biosphere Reserve in Brandenburg, Germany. Photo by
of emergency humanitarian assis- Jan-Herm Janßen - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rose Marie Duke - Jan. 6, (Little Christmas) tance and support with mine clear-
ance, documenting war crimes, Wendland
1934 to Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026 If the chief reason in favor of Brandenburg is Berlin, for the move to
fighting crime, preserving Ukraini-
Wendland it is “green and rural” and a little bit of Hamburg too. Wendland
By John Duke an cultural assets and fostering ex-
y mother passed away last change between scientists and corresponds almost exactly to the sparsely populated district of Lüchow-
Mmonth, at 6:34 a.m. on Easter academics. The biggest sums in Danneberg, around 100 kilometres from Hamburg.
Sunday – needlessly so. terms of civilian aid are made avail- People who move here get a lot of green, the opportunity for sustain-
This will now be the most im- able by the Finance Ministry and the able and innovative lifestyles, more room for the money than in the city,
portant article I have written in the Social Ministry to provide subsis- and less hustle and bustle. The Wendlandleben Agency advertises aggres-
German Citizen for all good Ger- tence support and training for the sively at events, including in Hamburg, using a word long been frowned
mans and for their families. My roughly 1.3 million Ukrainian refu- upon in Germany: "It’s the provinces, and it’s your province.”
hope is that it will serve as an im- gees. Germany and Poland “Here people find room, nature, quiet, sustainability - and super-fast
portant warning for all those who (996,000) have taken in the most internet,” remarked Sigrun Kreuser, of the Wendlandleben Agency
read this, forewarned is forearmed. refugees by far.
It's a story that began 50 years ago Military assistance for Ukraine
and ended sadly now. from Germany
Fifty years ago, my mother's Since the beginning of the war,
father was very ill. He had Mesothe- Germany has pledged military assis-
lioma caused from working with tance worth around 55 billion euros
asbestos. The American medical so- It wasn't for another decade until I to Ukraine. This includes direct
ciety didn't have much knowledge found out my friends in the Bundes- shipments as well as direct and indi-
about it or what procedures to use, republik Deutschland (West Germa- rect financial aid, for example via View of the rundling village of Satemin, 3 kilometres west of Lüchow.
but they did have chemotherapy. ny) had similar beliefs. partner countries, the European Photo by Axel Hindemith / Lizenz: Creative Commons CC-by-sa-3.0 de
They administered the same "medi- I now watch all the over-exag- Union or loans.
cine" regardless of where the cancer gerated medicine commercials on Source: deutschland.de Black Forest
was located and what kind of cancer television and wonder where the
Living where others holiday – this could be the reason for moving to
it was. Truly barbaric. Honest doc- FDA (Food and Drug Administra- Concordia plans commemoration the Black Forest, one of the most popular vacation areas in Germany.
tors openly admitted they didn't tion) is? Big pharma leads many Historic Concordia Cemetery, Another reason: there is work here, because of the tourists, but also
know a lot about what they should patients into wrong decisions, all in 438 Walden Ave., Buffalo is plan- because the economically strong region offers many well-paid jobs.
do. It was as bad then as it is now, the name of profits. I will never tell ning a Memorial Day Commemora- Just a few of the many examples: Tuttlingen is the world center of
minus the honesty. someone that they should take a tion on Saturday, May 23, 2026 medical technology, Oberkirch is the world market leader for thermal
My mother wouldn't surrender certain medicine or that they from 10 a.m. - Noon. It is an oppor- paper, and the machines on which every second toothbrush worldwide is
with her father's life on the line. She shouldn't. Ill people are left to make tunity to pause to reflect and honor manufactured come from Todtnau-Geschwend. The upshot: the Black
contacted an East German decisions where they have no those who have given everything for Forest is an excellent place to live and work, but it isn’t cheap.
doctor/scientist, in the Deutsche knowledge. The system basically our freedom. It is hosted by the “There is a hidden champion in every second Black Forest valley,” said
Demokratische Republik, some- has no system of health-care advo- Johnetta R. Cole AMVETS Post 24. Winfried Kretschmann, governor of Baden-Württemberg, in the Handels-
thing that wasn't done then. East cates because of health insurance For details visit Concordia blatt.
Germany encouraged research, and and their attorneys. And the term Buffalo.org Source: www.deutschland.de
he wrote about it in American news "research" translates to experiment-
reports. He told us that it was vitally ing on desperate patients.
important we have my grandfather The experts took six months to
consume as many calories as possi- decide what medicines and/or pro-
ble because a cure for cancer could cedures my mother should have.
happen any day. We should look to And after they did, my mother never
marijuana if necessary. recovered from the cure. That was January - February
A very few months later he in November and they never did March - April
contacted us, very despondent. He anything after that, they brushed her May - June
told us he was sorry that he believed aside because of her numeric age, July - August
the cure was soon to come. His be- not realizing, like everyone else in September - October
lief was based on the tremendous the world, how strong she was. I November - December
amounts of money the United States would never write about anything
was spending on research, more like this except my mother would
than the GDP (Gross Domestic want me to, to warn you. She would
Product) of many countries. He want you to have this knowledge so
learned that if the U. S. released the that you could make better decisions Published by
cure, it would cause the currency than I did. She didn't pass away Buffalo Standard Printing
markets to collapse, just think of from things the doctors did. She 3620 Harlem Rd.
Cheektowaga, NY 14215
how many people would lose their passed away from the doctors not
employment. The world would fall doing anything, and they had a lot of 716-831-8013
thegermancitizen@gmail.com
into a greater depression than 1929. time. The Altstadt of Altensteig in the Northern Black Forest. Photo by
For Advertising Sales call: Ünsal.Ceylan -http://www.uensal-ceylan.de, CC BY 3.0
Michelle Kisluk or
Steve Kroczynski
2 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • May - June 2026