German Left Party Chief Demands Public Vote on Germany’s Ukraine Policy
The leader of the German Left Party, Sahra Wagenknecht, has called for a nationwide referendum on the government’s future course in light of the ongoing debate over further arms deliveries to Ukraine. In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Wagenknecht criticized the government’s handling of the issue, saying that the decision to lift the range restrictions on German weapons, including the Taurus rocket, is a reckless and irresponsible move.
“If German weapons, possibly including Taurus rockets, were to hit Russian cities, that would be equivalent to a declaration of war against Moscow” Wagenknecht stated. “First, the government makes the arms deliveries a secret and then it lifts the range restrictions – this only makes sense if they are serious about delivering Taurus or if they have already done so.”
Wagenknecht deemed the government’s approach to the German public unacceptable, stating that the people should have the opportunity to set limits on the government’s Ukraine policy, particularly in regards to a ban on Taurus rocket deliveries. “The public must be given the chance to set boundaries for the government in its Ukraine policy. It cannot be that the public is shut out and we then wake up in a nuclear war” she emphasized, just before the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday.