The war will end, we will have to trade with Russia, says German politician Biznes Wprost

Posted On: November 6, 2022

“War never ends on the battlefield, it always ends at the negotiating table,” said Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. He argued that since “Russia will remain a neighbor of the EU”, it will have to be traded with it after the end of the war.

He made a reservation that he could not justify the war and was convinced that Ukraine should be supported.

Prime Minister of Saxony called for “freezing the conflict”

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, most German politicians have been unable to unequivocally condemn Russia’s actions or even suggest that Ukraine should strive for peace in order to spare the European economy.

Kretschmer’s words fit well with this chorus, and it was not the first time that he had expressed his sympathy for Russia. In July, he called for a “freezing” of the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. He explained that a prolonged war risked “losing economic power”. The statement sparked outrage among politicians from the CDU, that is, Kretschmer’s party. The “Welt” daily quoted Jamila Schaefer of the Greens as saying Kretschmer’s statement was “dangerous ignorance” and damaged Germany’s reputation. – The freezing of the war since 2014 has claimed thousands of civilian victims. We should therefore learn from past mistakes, instead of repeating them, she stressed.

He also commented on the matter on Twitter dismissed as Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk. “Ukrainians ask you to put your head in the freezer to freeze your hot fantasies about Russia. It is your eternal solicitation for war criminal Putin that is disgusting,” he wrote.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with the Chinese leader. Review for “business as usual”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China last week. It was the first visit by a G7 leader in three years. In Beijing, he meets Xi Jinping.

The German Chancellor told reporters that “bilateral meetings of this kind are extremely necessary in difficult times war in ukraine and at a time when Russia wants to threaten the world order”. The words of a German politician on “the need to cooperate for the sake of world peace” were widely quoted by Chinese media.

Talks during the one-day visit focused on economic issues, but the chancellor’s meeting with the head of a state that has not condemned Russia’s actions and is conducting normal business with Russia provoked criticism. Journalists accused the Chancellor of putting her own economic interests ahead of human rights and Western unity. German media draw attention to the unfortunate date of the trip – it was organized during the war in Ukraine, which Beijing did not officially condemn, and also just days after the Chinese Communist Party congress. At the party meeting, Xi Jinping strengthened his autocratic power. Among others, Chinese dissidents and the World Uyghur Congress.

Responding to the allegations, Olaf Scholz said the West needed to find a new way to deal with China. – Beijing is changing. It is no longer the same country as 5 or 10 years ago. We know that if China changes, our contacts with China must also change – explained the politician, assuring that in bilateral discussions difficult subjects such as respect for civil liberties and minority rights cannot be avoided, for example in Xinjiang.