Politicians from Germany’s Greens, Free Democratic Party (FDP), and Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) criticized Rolf Mützenich, the head of Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group, for his statement regarding the possible “freezing” of the war in Ukraine. The news is particularly alarming when considered in light of the recent report from the German portal Business Insider, which suggests that the country’s intelligence services do not rule out the possibility of Putin’s attack on NATO post-2026.
Ricarda Lang, the leader of the Green Party, characterized his speech in the Bundestag as a return to the old policy of social democracy towards Russia.
“It is obvious that freezing this conflict would ultimately lead to unimaginable suffering for many people in the occupied territories,” Lang said in an interview with WELT television.
Green politician Anton Hofreiter called Muetzenich’s proposal an encouragement for Putin to “further escalate the war” in Ukraine. This damages Germany’s reputation in the world, he emphasized.
A deputy from the liberal FDP party, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, emphasized on Deutschlandfunk radio: “I am sure that Ukraine was as terrified as all of us in the Bundestag when we heard this.”
Mützenich’s speech greatly angered former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk, who wrote on the social media platform X: “I have always said: this guy was and remains the most disgusting German politician.”
Putin readying for a war?Habe immer gesagt:
— Andrii Melnyk (@MelnykAndrij) March 14, 2024
dieser Typ war und bleibt der widerlichste deutsche Politiker. Für immer und ewig https://t.co/mL9tkoxkBE
According to this analysis, “a significant intensification of Russian arms production is observed, which may lead to a doubling of Russia’s military potential in the next five years compared to the current state, especially in the field of conventional weapons.”
“Troop movements, restructuring of the armed forces, and the deployment of new missiles, especially in western Russia, would also suggest that Putin is preparing for a serious conflict with the West,” Business Insider wrote on its webpage. “Specifically, according to current observations of the situation in Russia, it can no longer be ruled out that after 2026 Putin will attack at least part of NATO territory, for example in the Baltic countries or Finland,” it warned.
Just a few days ago the Lithuanian intelligence services also stated in their annual report that - in their opinion - Russia is preparing for a clash with NATO.