Former parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich has defended the recent trips to Russia undertaken by his SPD colleague, Matthias Platzeck. In an interview with “Der Spiegel”, Mützenich expressed gratitude for Platzeck’s willingness, along with other former politicians, to leverage their experience and integrity to contribute to a ceasefire and potential resolution of the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that Platzeck consistently highlights Russia’s war crimes during these engagements.
Mützenich’s comments followed reports, notably from “Der Spiegel”, detailing multiple trips made by ex-SPD leader Platzeck to Moscow since the beginning of the Russian invasion. He argued that it would be detrimental both factually and politically to restrict dialogue with the Russian side to representatives from other countries, even those at a non-official level. Mützenich conveyed his belief that Platzeck’s motivation stems from humanitarian and peace-policy concerns, rather than personal gain.
SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner also voiced his support for Platzeck, stating that the accusations and criticism directed at him are entirely inappropriate. Stegner described Platzeck as a respected politician now working towards ending the war in Ukraine as a private citizen. The fact that Platzeck is seeking dialogue with Russian representatives to achieve this goal is, according to Stegner, justifiable. He argued that all avenues should be explored to end the conflict and cautioned against condemning every conversation simply because of the behavior of the counterpart. Stegner, who previously faced criticism for attending a meeting with Russian officials in Baku, Azerbaijan, echoed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication.