Keynote SpeakerRüdiger von Fritsch

Rüdiger von Fritsch was Germany’s ambassador to Moscow. For five years, he was Germany’s highest representative and represented German interests vis-à-vis Russian President Vladimir Putin. This exceptional diplomat retired in the summer of 2019. He is now a partner at Berlin Global Advisor, a geopolitical and government affairs consultancy.

After studying history and German philology in Erlangen and Bonn, Rüdiger von Fritsch joined the German Foreign Service in 1984. After various positions as secretary at the German embassies in Warsaw, Nairobi and the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, he became Head of the Planning Staff in the Office of the Federal President in 1999 and Vice President of the Federal Intelligence Service in 2004. Three years later he became Head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Sustainable Development at the Federal Foreign Office and G8 Sherpa. In 2010 he was appointed Ambassador to Warsaw and from 2014 to 2019 he was Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Russian Federation and Head of the Embassy in Moscow.

In his 2009 book Die Sache mit Tom – eine Flucht in Deutschland, Rüdiger von Fritsch recounts how he and his brother helped a cousin and his friends escape from East Germany to West Germany in 1974. In the spring of 2022, he published “Zeitenwende” about Putin’s war in Ukraine and its consequences.

Rüdiger von Fritsch analyses the war in Ukraine with great knowledge and deep insight. He takes a clear stance and yet has the ability to change perspectives. His diplomatic skills are also evident in his engaging lectures. His analyses are both rigorous and sensitive, allowing his audience to see things from a new perspective.