The Basic Salary Wage requires a strong explanation.
On Maybrit Illner's ZDF talkshow, the conversation was supposed to be centered around the future of Ukraine. But an intense argument arose regarding the BSW party's conduct during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Tuesday speech at the Bundestag.
It's quite rare for a foreign leader to address the Bundestag as part of a ceremonial occasion. On that day, President Zelenskyy made a passionate speech before the parliament. Surprisingly, the seats of the BSW and AfD parliament members were left vacant. Most other parliament members and the media criticized the actions of these two parties quietly.
Rather than discussing the prospects for peace in a country devastated by a Russian attack war, Illner steers the dialogue towards the BSW's absence during the speech. She inquires why they didn't attend Zelenskyy's speech in the Bundestag.
When Amira Mohamed Ali replies, she initially employs the same words used by her co-chair Wagenknecht on the ARD talkshow "Maischberger." It seems rehearsed. There was no debate planned in the Bundestag about the speech - as it's typically the case with such state events - and the function was intended to celebrate Zelenskyy. "We didn't want to be part of that." We wouldn't have attended if Putin had spoken in the Bundestag. The notion that Ukraine isn't important to the BSW is false. "We believe that the war in Ukraine needs to end. We simply have a different opinion on how it should conclude." Prolonging the fight for a military victory is a mistake. It's also wrong to always associate the BSW with the AfD concerning the events of Tuesday afternoon, Mohamed Ali adds.
Lars Klingbeil, the SPD chairman, chimes in and accuses the BSW. "You both left," he states. "I find this unsettling. It's not a positive sign when you continuously link us with right-wing extremists." Mohamed Ali retorts, "That's reprehensible. By our absence, we have touched the hearts of people in this country who share our doubts." "You pollute the hearts of those people," Klingbeil responds. In response, Mohamed Ali states, "When two do the same thing, it doesn't mean they have the same thoughts."
Norbert Röttgen, a CDU foreign policy politician, steps in to uphold Klingbeil's viewpoint. "You need to accept that. If you react in a similar manner due to your unwillingness to accept it, when a leader of a nation under attack delivers a speech, you show that BSW and AfD are the two pro-Putin parties. This has been the case for a while."
"That's shameful," Mohamed Ali snaps back. "We've made our voice heard by our absence, reaching the hearts of many people in this country who share our sentiments." "You're pillaging the hearts of these people," Röttgen responds. Mohamed Ali persists, "When two make similar choices, it doesn't automatically mean they have the same opinions."
Former German Foreign Minister and European politician Joschka Fischer joins the discussion. "Who possesses nuclear weapons?" he inquires.
Wolfgang Ischinger, a former diplomat and the Munich Security Conference's head, then participates. "It's wrong to get agitated about it. I wouldn't let this bother me." Nevertheless, Ischinger rebukes the statement issued by the BSW to explain Zelenskyj's conduct. In it, the BSW declared that Zelenskyj was precipitating a nuclear war. "May I ask: Who possesses nuclear weapons? Ukraine surrendered all its nuclear weapons there under pressure from Russia and the US in 1994. And who has threatened the use of nuclear weapons in the past two years? Was it Zelenskyj? He does not have any and has not suggested using them. It was Medvedev who did, because he realizes: Fear is being preached there. And you've distorted that fear into the grotesque." The only one who deserves censure for threatening with nuclear weapons is Putin, but not "poor Zelenskyj."
The BSW denounces Putin forcefully, Mohamed Ali contends. It's true that Putin possesses these nuclear weapons. But Selenskyj wishes to involve NATO in the war. "And whoever desires this is certainly risking a nuclear war. That's what we meant."
Political scientist Nicole Deitelhoff counters that it's not Zelenskyj who's triggering a nuclear war, but rather, if anyone, then the German government. "Then you'd have to stay away from parliament frequently, as they're there all the time." Concerning the nuclear threat, there's a strong sense of restraint among the NATO countries, and it's evident that Russia is not escalating the war.
Klingbeil insists that the West must continue to arm Ukraine. "Not providing arms is a concession to Putin," he asserts. Despite this, both agree that Klingbeil has more trust in diplomatic measures. [End of Paraphrase]
This weekend, significant multinational discussions about these solutions will happen for the first time. A peace conference is currently ongoing at the high-end Swiss resort of Bürenstock. With more than 160 delegations in attendance, major nations like Brazil and China won't be present, but countries such as India will participate, as per political analyst Deitelhoff. She predicts that minor steps towards peace in Ukraine will be initiated initially. Nonetheless, it's a positive start.
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Despite Lars Klingbeil's criticism of the BSW for their absence during President Zelenskyy's speech at the Bundestag, Sahra Wagenknecht's party maintained that their absence was not a sign of disregard for Ukraine, but rather a stance against prolonging the war through a military victory. Norbert Röttgen, a CDU foreign policy politician, disagreed, stating that the BSW's actions only strengthened the perception that they and the AfD were pro-Putin parties.
In the context of the ongoing peace conference at the Swiss resort of Bürenstock, where more than 160 delegations are discussing potential solutions for Ukraine, BSW's stance on the situation has been a topic of debate. While the German government, led by Olaf Scholz, continues to advocate for arming Ukraine to counter Putin's aggression, others like political scientist Nicole Deitelhoff argue that it's the German government, not Zelenskyj, who could be escalating the nuclear threat with their actions.
