Immediately before his trip to the USA, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) offered Ukraine further help and security guarantees. A good year following the start of the Russian attack, Scholz said in the Bundestag that the country would be supported in its defense once morest Moscow for as long as possible. “That is why there cannot and will not be a peace agreement over the heads of the Ukrainians.”
In his speech on the “turning point” he proclaimed on February 27, 2022, he also made it clear that people are already thinking regarding a post-war order. “That’s why we’re talking to Kiev and other partners regarding future security commitments for Ukraine.” However, such security promises imperatively presuppose that Ukraine can successfully defend itself.
While Scholz, a year following his “Zeitenwende” speech in the Bundestag, drew a positive balance of the traffic light government’s crisis management, CDU leader Friedrich Merz sharply reproached him as opposition leader. The federal government falls far short of what was set at the time. Scholz hesitates and hesitates.
At the same time, Scholz called on China to work towards peace in Ukraine. “My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops. Do not supply arms to the aggressor Russia.” China can also be expected to talk to the main stakeholders, namely Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was disappointing that China was not prepared to condemn the Russian attack at the G20 finance ministers’ meeting.
There are currently no indications that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is interested in a just peace. “You can’t negotiate with a gun at your temple – except regarding your own submission,” said Scholz. Russia can end the war if it wants to. Putin’s imperialism must not prevail. Scholz also criticized demands that the West should stop its arms deliveries. This would only mean that Ukraine would have to submit to the aggressor.
SPD: Schroeder stays
The fact that former chancellor Gerhard Schröder was close to Russia did not result in a party penalty for the SPD. The arbitration commission of the SPD district of Hanover rejected applications from several SPD branches in a decision in the second instance. Schröder has been criticized for his work for Russian state companies and his lack of distance from the Russian attack on Ukraine.
