“It is not allowed”
Scholz calls for a clear no to nuclear strikes from Russia
11/05/2022 7:26 p.m
After a number of Russian nuclear weapon threats, the Chancellor is demanding a binding statement from the Kremlin. In addition, it is now Putin’s turn to facilitate real talks. Back in Berlin, he defends his criticized short trip to Beijing as a success.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has called on Russia to clearly rule out the use of nuclear weapons in the aggressive war against Ukraine. “It is not allowed, it is unacceptable to use nuclear weapons in this conflict,” said Scholz at the SPD debate convention in Berlin. “We call on Russia to clearly state that it will not do this. That would be a limit that must not be crossed.”
On Friday, Scholz warned of a nuclear escalation during his visit to Beijing together with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Scholz called Russia’s nuclear threats “irresponsible and extremely dangerous”. Xi said: “The use of nuclear weapons or the threat of using them must be rejected.” Scholz rated this as the greatest success of his stay in Beijing, which lasted just under twelve hours, for which he had previously been heavily criticized by the traffic light coalition. “It was worth the whole trip for that alone.”
The Chancellor returned to Berlin at around 2.45 a.m. and was back on the stage at the debate convention in the afternoon. In the war against Ukraine, a “precarious situation” arose because Russia had stumbled, said Scholz. “You can see how difficult it is for Russia to continue the war there in the East.”
Scholz: Putin must get away from the idea of dictated peace
He again called on Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine: “Now it’s up to the Russian president to make a move, namely to enable real talks. And it would be a good step if he were to withdraw his troops.” Putin must get away “from his idea that he can militarily enforce a dictated peace against Ukraine,” said Scholz. “That’s his concept. And on that basis, it will never work out.” At the end of every war there should be “agreements and diplomacy”.
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich defended his call for greater diplomatic efforts to find a peace solution. “It remains the case: (…) Most wars did not end on the battlefield.” Mützenich complained that he was “discriminated against” for this attitude – also by the coalition partners Greens and FDP. “I turn against this rigorism.” Mr. Mützenich accused the Ukrainian government of having put him on a “terrorist list” a long time ago. “I was already irritated that the Ukrainian government put me on a terrorist list on the grounds that I am working for a ceasefire or for the possibility of taking further diplomatic steps via local ceasefires.” He also received threats about it.
Klingbeil: Don’t repeat Russia’s mistakes in China
The “Center against Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine” had already published a list of 75 personalities on the Internet in the summer, which also included Mützenich. The accusation: the dissemination of “narratives” that matched Russian propaganda. Mützenich had been listed as saying that he was committed to a ceasefire.
At the convention, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil – like Scholz – warned against becoming too dependent on China. “It is absolutely clear to me that we must not repeat Russia’s mistakes with China now,” he said. It is possible that China will turn away from Europe, as Russia has done. “I don’t want us at some point in five or six years, when things get even more critical politically with China, to say: ‘Okay, but they’re built into all radio masts now, we apparently have a problem,’ emphasized Klingbeil Cooperation with China must have limits.There must be very clearly defined, high-security areas in which China must be clearly excluded.
At the debate convention on Saturday, all topics of domestic and foreign policy were discussed in more than 40 rounds. The event is to end on Sunday with the adoption of a key motion by the party executive entitled “A decade of new beginnings. A decade of social democracy”.