Housekeeper commends Eastern politicians for their advocacy in Ukraine situation
Three regional leaders, including an aspiring state president, advocate for Ukraine war's end. BSW chairwoman applauds, yet some sharply criticize - labeling East politicians as calculated.
BSW chairperson Sahra Wagenknecht has commended the collaborative appeal of the state presidents of Saxony and Brandenburg, Michael Kretschmer of the CDU and Dietmar Woidke of the SPD, along with the chairman of the Thuringian CDU, Mario Voigt. In an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," she referred to their joint plea as "a smart and nuanced contribution." However, CDU leader Friedrich Merz and several other critics have denounced the demands.
Kretschmer, Woidke, and Voigt issued a guest article in the FAZ, urging for a ceasefire in Ukraine and encouraging the federal government to bring Russia to the negotiating table. They levied criticism against the EU and Germany for pursuing diplomatic efforts inadequately to end the war. They did not mention arm deliveries to Ukraine in their article.
Wagenknecht commended the contribution as one "that stands out as a refreshing contrast to a debate that only centers around deciding which weapons should be delivered next, without considering a perspective for ending the war."
CDU leader and chancellor candidate Merz, however, distanced himself from the demands of the three Eastern politicians. "Ukraine is fighting for its very existence," he told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung." "We must continue to support it in our interest. Peace talks will only occur if both parties are prepared for them." Merz asserted that "Russia will only be ready for negotiations when the Putin regime realizes that further military action against Ukraine is impractical."
Criticism from the SPD and the Greens
Criticism came from SPD's Foreign Affair Committee Chairman, Michael Roth. "If the letter from the three designated state presidents was intended as a softener for coalition negotiations with BSW, I advise caution," he said to the SZ. "The Wagenknechts and Co. don't want peace. They don't want to deal with the suffering of Ukraine any longer. They just want to be left in peace to indulge in their anti-Americanism and their love for authoritarianism."
In the "Rheinische Post," FDP MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann criticized the move as "spineless bowing." "One gets the feeling that our country's liberal values are being sold for a bit of power and election campaigning on the flea market," she said.
The Greens also expressed their disapproval: Green Parliamentary Group Chair Britta Haßelmann wrote on the online platform X that the message from the guest article was "how do I join forces with Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW for coalition purposes while making concessions on arms deliveries to Ukraine and the deployment of American intermediate-range missiles?" Green Party Leader Omid Nouripour also expressed his displeasure. "I can't find a single concrete idea for substantial peace work in this - it's cowardly," he said. Germany and its partners are actively engaged in diplomatic, financial, military, and humanitarian efforts to ensure Ukraine's survival as a country. "The three authors should explain how they intend to convince Putin to finally heed Ukraine and its partners' numerous peace efforts," Haßelmann wrote.
The regional politicians Kretschmer, Woidke, and Voigt are attempting to form a government in their respective states following the September state elections, each through collaboration with BSW. BSW has stipulated, as a condition, a commitment against arms deliveries to Ukraine and against the deployment of American intermediate-range missiles. Recently, Wagenknecht has suggested including this commitment in the agreement's preambles.
The Commission, referring to the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, has also expressed its disapproval of the joint plea by Kretschmer, Woidke, and Voigt. Committee Chair Michael Roth criticized the letter as an attempt to soften coalition negotiations with the BSW, claiming that the Wagenknechts and their allies are not genuinely seeking peace but rather wanting to avoid dealing with Ukraine's suffering.
Despite the criticism from various political parties, The Commission has emphasized the need for concrete peace proposals and ideas from the regional politicians to convince Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine.
