Co-chair of Germany’s Die Linke (Left) Party, Martin Schirdewan, said in an interview with Der Spiegel published on Feb. 5: “If we want stable peace we should find a way of interacting with Russia.”
“We have to get out of the military tunnel vision and move toward a diplomatic solution. Pressure must be built up on Vladimir Putin so that he is prepared to negotiate. The German government could play an important role in this—together with Brazil and China, for example—but it is not doing so because the chancellor is being driven into the military by the FDP and the Greens.”
He added that the European Union should be independent both from Russia and the U.S. However, according to him, even after the Ukrainian conflict, Russia would remain part of Europe. “This is why you should think about the post-war order,” he asserted, adding that it was difficult to do so right now.... We also should define security beyond NATO. Germany, being the largest economy in the EU, should urgently discuss with its European partners as to how to set up Europe’s security on its own.”
He stressed that diplomatic initiatives would find positive response by Russia: “We see with the grain agreement or the prisoner exchange that negotiations are possible” Schirdewan stated, however, that “when it comes to pressure on Putin, targeted sanctions against the power apparatus and oligarchs are needed.” He said that he “would prefer a democratic Russia without Putin. But if we want lasting peace, we have to find a way to deal with Russia. I wish there were someone in the German government who would take this task seriously. Alone, I see no one there.”
