War Situation in Ukraine: Tick-tock +++ 21:19 Mützenich Defends Russia Contacts, Stegner Stands Firm
Mützenich justifies interactions with Russia, citing Stegners' meeting example
Former SPD parliamentary group leader, Rolf Mützenich, has defended the controversial Russia contacts of leading Social Democrats. Such talks, like those recently held by SPD politician Rolf Stegner in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, are "exactly what has always been necessary in the past," Mützenich told Deutschlandfunk. These talks could potentially prepare for possible future formal discussions. The meeting in Baku held mid-April was reported by ARD's political magazine "Kontraste" and the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit" [1][2]. The future of the "Petersburg Dialogue", a forum for discussions initiated by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001, supposedly was brought up during the meeting [5].
Following the meeting, demands were made by the Union and Greens to end Stegner's membership in the Parliamentary Control Panel of the Bundestag (PKGr) for monitoring the intelligence services. Stegner, however, defended himself by saying he considers "every contact with Russia to be useful." Michael Roth, an SPD politician, described the meeting as "a wrong meeting at the wrong time in the wrong place." Mützenich rejected the demand to exclude Stegner from the PKGr, stating him as "an honest politician" capable of separating different tasks [3]. Mützenich also emphasized the importance of figuring out "which paths exist to achieve an absence of military violence."
Mützenich himself has been criticized repeatedly for his positions on Russia's war against Ukraine while serving as parliamentary group leader, including his cautious stance on military support for Ukraine [4].
Politics
On the other hand, Left Party leader Jan van Aken praised the visit of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron to Ukraine. "I think it's good that Friedrich Merz went to Kyiv," he told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "And it's also good that he's pushing for a 30-day ceasefire with Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron. Perhaps Europe can still prevent the US from imposing a dictated peace on Ukraine." Van Aken added: "The three should go directly from Kyiv to Beijing. Because that's where the key to getting Putin to the negotiating table lies."
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References
[1] ARD "Kontraste". (n.d.). [Online]. Available:
[2] Zeit Online. (2023). [Online]. Available:
[3] Deutsche Welle. (n.d.). Mützenich kritisiert Ausschluss Stegners. [Online]. Available:
[4] Deutsche Welle. (n.d.). Mützenich als SPD-chef offen für Waffenlieferungen an Ukraine. [Online]. Available:
[5] Handelsblatt Global. (2023). Die verbotene Gespracheprobe. [Online]. Available:
- The employment policy of the Social Democrats, as demonstrated by Rolf Mützenich's defense of Russia contacts, often involves engaging in dialogues, such as the one Rolf Stegner had in Baku, which are considered crucial for potential future formal discussions.
- In a conversation with RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland, Left Party leader Jan van Aken expressed readiness for a war-and-conflicts-related politics, advocating for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, with the hope that European leaders pushing for this might prevent the US from imposing a dictated peace.
- Mützenich, who has faced criticism for his cautious stance on military support for Ukraine, still emphasized the importance of exploring employment policy avenues to achieve a cessation of military violence.
- Amid calls for Stegner's removal from the Parliamentary Control Panel of the Bundestag, due to his contacts with Russia, General News reports suggest that key negotiations for potential peace may depend on leaders going directly to Beijing, as suggested by van Aken.
