As prominent Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) politicians call for a U-turn in the country’s security and foreign policy, the Union is met with sharp criticism.
The leader of the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) worker’s wing, Dennis Radtke, told the Handelsblatt that the SPD’s learning curve on Russia policy is reminiscent of a dead brain and that those who still do not understand that Russian President Vladimir Putin views weakness as an invitation to continue his aggressive actions are at least naively dangerous. Radtke believes that the Moscow connection within the SPD is trying to undermine the new direction of the federal government and that the party’s chairman, Lars Klingbeil, must quickly provide clarity on who in the SPD is in charge of these issues.
Nils Schmid, the parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence and a member of the SPD, expressed understanding for the desire for peace, but stated that only Putin does not share this desire, as he continues to attack Ukraine with new attacks. Schmid criticized the “manifest” for having a very one-dimensional view of history, particularly neglecting the changed threat situation. He also emphasized that it is incorrect to equate modern Russia with the Soviet Union.
The Greens also voiced criticism, with Marcel Emmerich, the party’s interior policy spokesperson, stating that Russia is waging a brutal, inhumane war, committing war crimes and attacking Europe, not only on the exterior but also on the interior, through cyberattacks, disinformation and sabotage. Emmerich believes that speaking of a U-turn in security policy in this situation is not only naive but also extremely dangerous.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) sees the SPD’s proposal as confirmation of its own Ukraine policy, which the party has been advocating for years. The parliamentary group’s leader, Bernd Baumann, told the newspaper that the SPD’s manifesto is calling for talks with Russia and thus a change in foreign policy, something the AfD has been demanding for years and was criticized for as alleged Putin friends.