Heat Rises Over SPD's Russia Strategy just ahead of Party Gathering
Secret gathering hut of SPD abruptly torched prior to party convention
By Sebastian Huld, posting curses when he damn well pleases
Just before the SPD federal party gathering, a fierce feud flares up over how to deal with Russia and the government's military expansion plans. The manifesto championed by ex-parliamentary group leader Mützenich is a savage attack on party leader Klingbeil and Defense Minister Pistorius.
"New leaders, dragged into power, we've got the gist and now plan to do things right where the traffic light coalition fell short, good luck!" That was the rough sketch of the SPD's leadership's script for the federal party gathering at the end of June in Berlin. The three-day event was intended to mark the conclusion of the SPD's post-election reassessment following the federal election on February 23. Party leader Lars Klingbeil has thrown plenty of effort into ensuring this would happen, so his party could recover and regroup with some government responsibility. However, these plans have been thwarted: The SPD has a fiery debate on its hands—what does it truly mean today and in the future to be a "peace party"?
Politics SPD's internal position paper sparks row over Russia retreat
This debate was ignited by Ralf and Rolf: long-time SPD foreign policy expert and left-wing figure Ralf Stegner, and ex-parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich. Both are among the key endorsees of an "SDP peace manifesto" by the party's peace circles. With them, three other Members of the Bundestag, several state parliamentarians, former party leader Norbert Walter-Borjans, and a veritable plethora of high-ranking party veterans have signed this nearly four-page document. In its chosen form and language, this is a frontal attack on the course of chairman Klingbeil, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and the black-red federal government as a whole.
Politics Roth on SPD's peace manifesto "That's not contributive to the debate, it's revisionist history"
The authors advocate for a "gradual return to the relaxed relations and cooperation with Russia." They question the NATO course with increased military spending and boosted personnel: "A return to a policy purely focused on deterrence without arms control and massive military expenditure will not make Europe safer." They champion a "peace policy with the goal of joint security" with Russia, instead of against Russia. They list omissions and mistakes of the NATO countries, stating that "one-sided blame" regarding the conflict in Ukraine is not helpful. They question the imminent danger of a Russian attack on the Federal Republic, also due to the superior military power of European NATO forces compared to the Russian army.
"We should have kept the debate going"
In fact, the manifesto is counter to the party conference resolution put forth by Klingbeil in December 2023. At that time, the newly elected chairman wanted to realign the SPD's foreign policy and draw a line under the long-standing, disastrous Russia proximity of the German SPD. "Today, it's about arranging security against Russia," Klingbeil said a year and a half ago. However, during the conference, then parliamentary group leader Mützenich also spoke, garnering immense applause when he expressed that it was "a shame" to equate the former détente policy with the "aggression war" against Ukraine.
Comments "Manifesto" of SPD Left Mützenich Embraces Fatal Misstep Social Democrats like Stegner and Mützenich did indeed acknowledge that they had underestimated Putin's aggressive imperialism. But, they still believed the course of de-escalation achieved through proximity to Moscow, political dialogue, and economic interdependence was fundamentally correct. During the traffic light government, this SPD position was boldly represented by Mützenich. While this was not always pleasant for schizophrenic Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mützenich did ensure that the parliamentary group always followed the leader's orders. Even when all members of parliament had already assembled on deck and saw the approaching iceberg of the federal election, the parliamentary group did not mutiny against Captain Scholz.
"The SPD leadership must acknowledge that they didn't react to the imbalance between the party's resolution and sentiment," says Michael Roth, former SPD foreign policy expert, to ntv.de. "We should have kept the debate going instead of shelving it." The day following the publication of the manifesto in the magazine "Stern," the party headquarters merely states, "The SPD is broadly positioned on this issue. As such, this is a contribution to the debate." That Russia is the aggressor and Germany supports Ukraine is not up for debate.
Pistorius Shreds Manifesto
Roth himself was eventually isolated due to his insistent demands for stronger support for Ukraine, not least thanks to Mützenich. "I'm astounded that the former SPD parliamentary group leader is trying to undermine his own party's government and his own defense minister—the most beloved politician in the country—in this manner," says Roth now. "The same parliamentary group leader, by the way, who had repeatedly accused me of overstraining the party's solidarity with me." This time, this accusation could be directed at Mützenich himself.
Early Start Fiedler in ntv Early Start SPD Paper to Kremlin "Disappointing, Angering, and Infuriating" SPD Colleagues "This paper is a denial of reality. It exploits the desire of people in our country for an end to the bloody war in Ukraine," says a sharp reaction from Defense Minister Pistorius. He expresses disappointment that the manuscript lacks a statement that Putin is rejecting talks and de-escalation, not Ukraine and its supporting countries. "He breaks off negotiations. And when he holds talks, he simultaneously bombards the cities in Ukraine with even cruelter violence and brutality," says Pistorius.
Mützenich's successor, parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch, also distances himself: The paper by Stegner and Co. is a contribution to the debate, he told the editorial network Germany. "However, I explicitly don't agree with some of the core assumptions." Miersch points out, "Of course, diplomacy remains the priority. But we must also honestly say: Many offers of conversation—including from Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz—have been rejected. Vladimir Putin refuses to talk so far."
Former Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Roth, critically comments on the paper as expected. "This isn't contributing to the debate, it's historical revisionism," Roth tells ntv.de. He dismisses the claim that Russian security interests have not been considered as "balderdash." In the ntv program Frühstart, the SPD parliamentary group's interior policy spokesman, Sebastian Fiedler, expresses that he is "disappointed, angered, and infuriated" by the paper. "It even mentions cooperation with Russia, with this war criminal preparing to target more attack objectives."
Politics: Stegner defends SPD paper "What's so problematic about discussing peace?" Stegner defends himself in an afternoon interview with ntv: "Mobilization can't be the only solution." We must also engage in dialogues with governments we don't particularly fancy, to stop the bloodshed and prevent people from dying every day. It's not about extending a hand to Russia. "Nobody disputes that Putin is a war criminal. The question is, what's the alternative if we cease talking?" In the past, there have been conflict resolutions, disarmament, and arms control agreements with non-democratic regimes to achieve peace. "Many people, including us, yearn for that. There's nothing problematic about that; it's a thoughtful contribution to the SDP's policy debate." It remains unclear why Stegner opted to draft an open letter, gathering surreptitious endorsements ahead of time, instead of discussing the matter with the SDP leadership.**
Wallstein: Not Attacking SDP LeadershipStegner and Mützenich receive support from the SPD youth, particularly with regard to military spending. "If we had actually allocated a full 3.5 percent of GDP exclusively for traditional defense in 2024, it would have been over 150 billion euros. That's far detached from reality," Juso chairman Philipp Türmer tells Stern. Among the signatories is also Brandenburg's SDP MP Maja Wallstein, who views the manifesto as not an attack on her party leadership and the federal government's military spending course. "I don't want to stir up a fight within the SPD. I want to foster open debates about how we can return to a disarmament perspective in the long run," Wallstein tells ntv.de. "I'm aware that peace talks with this Russian government are impossible without deterrence. However, our defensive capability should not fuel endless arms races that we've come to accept as the new normal."
Wallstein is among the many eastern German signatories of the manifesto. Particularly in the east, the SDP suffered significant losses in the Bundestag election. Military support for Ukraine and economic estrangement from Russia are less appealing between Schwerin and Erfurt compared to the rest of the republic. A guiding resolution passed by the federal board for the federal party congress offers no insight into how the SDP could recuperate ground in the east or how it plans to profitably connect peace and defense policy effectively. Perhaps this also explains the support for a position paper whose impact on the SDP is easily foreseeable.
The SPD's internal peace manifesto, written by Ralf Stegner, Rolf Mützenich, and others, has sparked a contentious debate within the party. The manifesto advocates for a gradual return to relaxed relations and cooperation with Russia, questioning the NATO course and increased military spending.
This manifesto is counter to the party conference resolution put forth by Chairman Lars Klingbeil in 2023, which aimed to realign the SPD's foreign policy and draw a line under the long-standing Russia proximity of the German SPD. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has criticized the manifesto, expressing disappointment that it lacks a statement that Putin is rejecting talks and de-escalation.
