DAAD President Jayabrato Mukherjee insisted that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a gross violation of international law and it was.” “There can be no normal relationship with a state waging a war of aggression against its neighbor in the middle of Europe, not even in foreign science policy. So we are currently limiting the German-Russian exchange relations funded by DAAD.”
The sanctions primarily affect scholarships, since already selected German scholarship holders will not receive any financial assistance for planning to stay in Russia. “We know the move is unfair and affects many scientists and students who work for peaceful and rule of law as well as good neighborly relations,” Mukherjee said. Nevertheless, in the context of a war, the promotion of exchange relations with Russia must be critically reviewed. According to DAAD, the measures taken now could be further adjusted.