Germany’s current ambassador to Ukraine is to take the helm of the BND foreign intelligence agency, the government said Thursday, at a time of high tension with Russia.
A government statement said Martin Jaeger, 60, would take over as head of the BND on September 15.
Jaeger has spent most of his career as a diplomat and civil servant, with postings including ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as a stint as head of carmaker Daimler AG’s external relations.
Thorsten Frei, the government commissioner for the intelligence services, said that Jaeger’s “experience over many years in crisis-hit countries” meant that he was “fully equipped” to lead the agency.
Jaeger has been Germany’s top diplomat in Kyiv since July 2023.
Frei said that “in light of the current tense security situation this appointment is a great advantage”.
Germany has faced a surge in spying and sabotage cases linked to Moscow since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine sent tensions soaring with Berlin, which has strongly backed Kyiv.
The current head of the BND, Bruno Kahl, has led the agency since 2016 and will move on to the post of German ambassador to the Vatican.
In a public appearance at the German parliament in October, Kahl said that “Russia’s armed forces will probably be in a position to attack NATO by the end of this decade at the latest”.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently described Moscow as “the biggest threat to freedom, peace and stability in Europe” and has set his sights on making Germany’s army the largest among Europe’s NATO members.
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© Agence France-Presse
