Areas of Expertise

• German foreign and security policy
• Disarmament and arms control
• German-Polish relations
• Russia

Short Bio

Ambassador Rolf Nikel is a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). From September 2020 to September 2026 he served as DGAP’s vice president.  

A career diplomat, Ambassador Nikel brings over 40 years of experience in the German Foreign Office. From July 2014 until the end of June 2020, he was Germany’s Ambassador to Poland. Prior to that, he served as the Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control (2011–2014), Deputy Director-General for Foreign and Security Policy (2006–2011), and Head of Division for the United Nations and Global Issues at the Federal Chancellery (2005–2006). Other postings during his diplomatic career included assignments at the German embassies in Moscow, Nairobi, Paris, and Washington, D.C., where he headed the Political Department.

Ambassador Nikel studied political science, economics, and international law in Frankfurt, Durham, N.C., and Paris. He was also a fellow at Harvard University.

Languages

German, English, French, Russian, Polish