In an interview with the website Makroskop published on May 23, Michael von der Schulenburg, former UN Deputy Secretary-General, once again called urgently for an end to the war in Ukraine.
On the situation in Ukraine, he said, among other things: “The Ukrainians today are the betrayed people of Europe, betrayed by us, too. Their country has become a battlefield for geopolitical interests, including Western geopolitical interests. If we really want to be friends of Ukraine, as we like to claim, we should now do everything we can to end this war through a negotiated peace.”
The Biden administration had “ignored all warnings that Russia would react militarily to Ukraine’s accession and Europe remained silent. The United States probably underestimated the Russians at the time and thought they wouldn’t dare. The West simply didn’t understand how deeply the Russians—and not just Putin—regarded NATO directly on their borders as an existential threat to Russia and still do today.”
Von der Schulenburg likewise urgently warns against further miscalculations: “If the United States continues to escalate with NATO support, and, as announced, now sends weapons that can strike Russia in its strategically important locations, Russia would not shy away from extreme reactions, as indicated. The danger of this conflict escalating into a nuclear war is therefore higher today than ever before. NATO should not underestimate Russia’s determination again.”
Europe has no independent position at all. Instead, we should “shy away from such an escalation and fully back negotiations.” Europe must defend our own security interests, he said, continuing: “But we are not doing that. … We are running behind the Americans—even if that means our economic downfall or, even worse, could jeopardize our survival.”
As a UN diplomat, Michael von der Schulenburg has mediated in many international war zones, including Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Haiti and Sierra Leone. He is currently campaigning for the European Parliament on the slate of Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW). Together with Hajo Funke, Harald Kujat, and Peter Brandt, they had published a statement on April 11, 2024 urging German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to support the Feb. 24, 2023 Chinese peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine during Scholz’s April 14-17 visit to China.
