Schwesig expresses words of unity with Ukraine
Due to her past association with Nord Stream 2, Manuela Schwesig encounters criticism in Ukraine. As the initial Federal President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, this is her inaugural visit to Kiev. Schwesig aims to demonstrate unity - disregarding the disapproval from certain voices against Ukraine's backing in Eastern Germany.
Arriving in Ukraine for a visit by train in the morning, this SPD politician plans to engage in political discussions throughout the day. "This is a show of solidarity from all 16 federal states towards Ukraine," she remarked on her way to the Ukrainian capital. "Ukraine must emerge victorious from this war, and it should not be permissible for Russia to prevail with this aggression."
Her assertion that Ukraine ought to win the war does not sit well with all politicians. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the other hand, consistently states that Russia should not triumph, and Ukraine should not falter. Reflecting on her trip, Schwesig notes that it serves to counter the growing criticism of Ukraine's support in Eastern Germany. Her role as Prime Minister is to safeguard the Federal Government's course from this sentiment.
Schwesig has been Bundesrat President since November 1, 2023, for a year, and occupies the fourth-highest state office below the Federal President, Bundestag President, and Federal Chancellor. The SPD politician had a rocky stance in Ukraine for a protracted duration due to her investments in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Russia and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The former Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Melnyk once voiced that he would never acknowledge her.
Schwesig considers 2022 to be a "turning point" in 2022. Following the Russian assault nearly two years prior, she distanced herself from her support for the project and deemed it a blunder. She views 2022 as a turning point in her own life too. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has a sister region in Chernihiv, situated north of Kiev, and provides aid projects to support it. "Ukraine has been barbarically attacked by Russia, we stand by the people," Schwesig stated during the train ride to Kiev.
She stresses the importance of providing humanitarian, financial, and military aid to Ukraine. Additionally, she advocates for continuous weapons deliveries to enable the country to defend itself more effectively against Russian adversaries. "Ukraine must predominantly be able to protect itself, for instance, with Patriot systems." President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to his allies for seven additional Patriot missile defense systems, Germany has dispatched two systems and pledged another.
