The pro-Ukraine policy of Chancellor Olaf Scholz is opposed by many of his fellow Social Democrats, some of whom have now sent a letter signed by members of the Bundestag and European Parliament with the title: “The Weapons Must Be Silent!” (https://www.joachim-schuster.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Layout-Antikriegstag-FINAL.pdf)
“The escalation spiral must be stopped,” they write. While denouncing the Russian military operation, they call for a “modus vivendi,” which would allow the conflicting parties to coexist in peace. “With every delivery of weapons, it is important to carefully weigh up and consider where the ‘red line’ lies, which could be perceived as entering the war and provoke corresponding reactions,” the letter adds, warning that this conflict could escalate into a nuclear confrontation. The letter proposes talking to such neutral states as Indonesia, India and South Africa to mediate between the conflict parties, with the aim of achieving a ceasefire. Furthermore, the pro-armaments dynamic in the West must be replaced by a pro-peace policy, including confidence-building steps modeled on the 1970s détente. The present approach of NATO is no basis for a security structure which must be built through talks, the letter’s signers declare.
Among the signers are Bundestag members Jan Dieren, Rainer Keller, Tina Rudolph, Carolin Wagner and Jens Peick, several members of state (Land) legislatures; former Bremen Mayor Carsten Sieling, Bremen SPD state chairman Reinhold Wetjen, and Dortmund Mayor Thomas Westphal. SPD Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) include Dietmar Köster, Joachim Schuster and Constanze Krehl.
