Fans, friends, fanatics: Who and why loves Putin?
Media personalities portraits. #6. Günter Verheugen: Just avoiding a big war
Respected bureaucrat
Verheugen was born in 1944 in Bad Kreuznach in West Germany. He studied in Cologne and Bonn, specializing in political science and sociology. As a student, he visited Moscow for the first time. According to his own recollections, he didn't like the USSR.
"The capital of the Eastern superpower was gray and depressing".
Later, Verheugen worked in the ministries of internal and foreign affairs and even became a trusted figure of Hans-Dietmar Genscher, an outstanding German politician of the 1970s. During those years, some tension between the USSR and the Western bloc was alleviated. Verheugen often refers to that experience, suggesting that Genscher's idea was to engage as much as possible with ideological opponents and thus make them more similar to themselves.
However, judging by Verheugen's evolving views, engaging with opponents did not benefit him. When he starts discussing current political issues, it feels like listening to a Kremlin administration official.
But more on that later. For now, let's add a few strokes to Verheugen's portrait.
Initially, he successfully built a political career in the Free Democratic Party of Germany, becoming its general secretary. However, in 1982, Verheugen switched to the Social Democrats. As it turned out, the timing was right: the next year, he became a member of the Bundestag. The Social Democrats valued him; they even entrusted him with editing the party newspaper "Forward".
During those years, Verheugen visited the USSR many times, recalling it very warmly. Apparently, the Soviet capital took on new colors for him: there was no trace of the sense of grayness and depression.
Even back then, the German politician expressed quite interesting thoughts.
For example: don't criticize the Soviet state for the lack of democratic institutions and human rights issues; instead, seek constructive solutions in everything!
He searched and searched, but still hit a career ceiling. Not because of extravagant judgments about the USSR but because he found himself in the shadow of Gerhard Schröder.
However, in 1999, he became the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Enlargement. At that time, while Verheugen held this position, the European Union welcomed 10 Eastern European countries. Later, he held the position of Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, as well as the Vice-President of the European Commission.
In general, a quite brilliant bureaucratic career.
Verheugen and the Marshall Plan
In 2010, Verheugen retired as planned – European Commissioners are not supposed to serve more than two consecutive terms. But retirement proved dull for him, and the former Eurocrat started sharing his comments.
Mainly on Russia's relations with the West.
"Just look at Moscow! It's evident how much economic growth the country has achieved since 2000!" - Verheugen responded irrelevantly to a question about the suppression of protests in Russia related to the falsification of the 2011 elections.
He consistently praised Vladimir Putin's words about a united "Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok." However, a few years later, the idea of a "United Europe" had to be forgotten, precisely after the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
In 2015, Verheugen was invited to head the direction of European integration at the Agency for Modernization of Ukraine. This non-governmental organization was initiated by Ukrainian billionaire Dmitry Firtash, with its official goal being the development of reforms for EU integration preparation and the search for international investments in the real sector of the economy.
Verheugen organized a couple of round tables on non-binding topics, made statements about developing a "New Marshall Plan" for Ukraine, and then...
Claims emerged from Ukrainian authorities against Firtash and his agency. The AMU was "asked to leave," and authorities began confiscating everything the billionaire had accumulated, whether through hard work or questionable dealings – depending on your perspective. In the end, Verheugen's plan for a new Marshall didn't materialize.
And then the retired EU commissioner seemed to burst out...
New negotiator
Verheugen commented on the Crimea issue:
"Russia is described as a country regressing to barbarism. But that's not true. Putin is not the ghost of Ivan the Terrible or Joseph Stalin. We must start talking about each other in a rational tone and using reasonable arguments, and even better, return to dialogue. And we should acknowledge that Russia has legitimate interests, not just us."
Verheugen replied to a question about whether it's possible to engage in dialogue with the president of a country where people are imprisoned for holding a "No to War!" placard. And this is not about Ukraine:
"I'm not saying we should abandon our values. However, we should strive to listen more".
One could make allowances for him being an old-school politician, ready to seek compromises with anyone to avoid a major war. But the war is already happening!
Verheugen is not bothered by that.
"I am convinced that in 2008, the offer for Ukraine to become a NATO member deliberately and consciously crossed a line. It was unacceptable for Russia due to its security interests", he said in an interview with Berliner Zeitung in 2023.
Although it seems like Ukraine's business – to join or not to join anywhere.
In combination with contacts with such a questionable figure as Firtash (accused of tax evasion, fraud, and bribery), this raises some thoughts. Is the former Eurocrat waiting for the moment when Putin achieves his goals, and serious work on the recovery and integration of Ukraine can begin? Just not in the EU... Verheugen and Firtash would be ideal negotiators with the West. After all, everyone knows that Putin doesn't forget anything – neither good nor bad.
As for Firtash, not so long ago, Putin and Lukashenko saved him from extradition from Austria to the USA, granting him diplomatic status. The Ukrainian businessman unexpectedly became a Belarusian diplomat. His extradition is now impossible. Everyone knows that Lukashenko asked the Russian president for this little favor.
It's not excluded that when the time comes to finally end the war, Putin will pull out two trump cards from his sleeve: the former Euro-bureaucrat and the "unjustly mistreated" oligarch in his homeland.
Related topics:
In the context of discussing Günter Verheugen's evolving views on political issues, the following sentences could be written:
- Despite initially not liking the USSR due to its gray and depressing appearance, Verheugen visited the Soviet capital multiple times in the future and spoke warmly about it.
- As a retired EU commissioner, Verheugen consistently praised Vladimir Putin's idea of a united "Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok," even after the annexation of Crimea.
- Hubert Seipel and Russian money
- Fyodor Tyutchev: Russian German in the service of the Russian tsar
- Yuri Volnov: "This regime must be destroyed"
