German politician Verheugen accuses the German Greens of "fundamentalist foreign policy"

  “The longtime SPD politician and former EU Commissioner Verheugen sharply criticizes current Russia policy – and draws parallels to 1945.

 

     The long-standing SPD politician and former EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen has attacked the federal government's Russia policy. In an interview in Bremen's "Weser-Kurier" Verheugen speaks of a "fundamentalist foreign policy of the Greens". He himself, however, was "very much shaped by the early détente policy," says Verheugen. He takes the view that without Willy Brandt's willingness to engage in dialogue, "the Cold War would not have ended to this day".

 

     In the interview, Verheugen called the violent overthrow in Ukraine before Russia reunited with Crimea in 2014 a "fabulous PR stunt". It was "a prepared coup d'etat". Forgetting this history is the same as claiming that "World War II can be traced back solely to a madman named Hitler". He is also "affected" that his party friend Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in retrospect, sees the Minsk agreements agreed in 2014 and 2015 as a mistake.

 

     Verheugen also criticizes the Bundeswehr's rearmament based on a credit authorization; with such “war credits” every social democrat would have “their hair raised”.

 

Instead, he calls for negotiations with the Kremlin.

 

Verheugen dismissed the objection that one did not negotiate with criminals, after all the other countries had "reached out a hand" with Germany after 1945.

 

     Verheugen told the Weser-Kurier that one could only speculate about the crash of Wagner leader Prigoschin's plane. “The usual theories are circulating: behind it is Putin, the Russian General Staff, Ukraine, the CIA. . . I don't know anything."

 

With these views, Verheugen should not be far removed from parts of the Bremen SPD, which is deeply influenced by détente and the peace movement. Influential Bremen SPD parliamentarians are constantly opposed to better equipment for the Bundeswehr, a tougher course against China and a tough stance on Putin.”