DThe criticism of SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich after his statements about a possible freeze in the Ukraine war continues. Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) told the newspapers of the Editorial Network Germany (RND) on Monday: “Freezing wars does not lead to peace. This endangers peace.” She also indirectly accused Mützenich of stoking fears among the population.
“At the party conference in Berlin in December, the SPD described its decades of wrong Russia policy and turning a blind eye to Vladimir Putin’s aggressive imperialism as a mistake. This self-critical decision deserves respect,” said the Green politician. “But less than four months later, the SPD parliamentary group leader counteracts these attempts by the SPD leadership to review its own Russia policy and seriously calls for simply 'freezing' the Ukraine war.”
Göring-Eckardt added: “Anyone who wants to 'freeze' Russia's war against Ukraine, which violates international law, is demanding that the people of Ukraine submit to a dictator and inviting Putin to continue his imperialist campaign. This is not just an annulment of the SPD decision from December, it is a danger for our country.”
Nouripour sees a need for discussion
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour sees a need for discussion within the SPD after Mützenich's controversial statements. The SPD party conference resolution on this issue in December was completely different from what Mützenich last said, said Nouripour on Sunday in the ARD program “Report from Berlin”.
Nouripour criticized that freezing means “we simply ignore the devastating human rights violations that are already taking place in the occupied territories. And the people of Ukraine don’t deserve that.”
On Thursday, Mützenich asked the question in the Bundestag debate about a proposal from the Union parliamentary group to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine: “Isn't it time for us not only to talk about how to wage a war, but also to think about it “How can you freeze a war and end it later?” Isn't it “also about these questions politically?”
His question about freezing the war provoked criticism from the opposition, but also from the traffic light coalition. “A reliable, forward-looking security policy must not be guided by false domestic political motives,” said Göring-Eckardt. That's why she considers it “necessary for the SPD to clarify its decided foreign policy course.”
The aim must be “for Ukraine to regain its full territorial integrity within its borders, which were also recognized by Russia in 1991, and thus its sovereignty”. One way to do this could be to exchange cruise missiles with Great Britain. The Bundestag Vice President emphasized that she “encourages the entire federal government to take this path in order to secure long-term peace and security for Europe and Germany.”