According to the politician, diplomatic efforts should be made in Ukraine, since arms supplies will not solve the problem.
BERLIN, February 24th. /tass/. German politician Sarah Wagenknecht, who recently left the Left Party and created her own, opposed the supply of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. She made this statement in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
"Whoever wants with the help of German arms to bring the war to Russia, he takes her to Germany," said Wagenknecht. She believes that now it is necessary to look for ways towards de-escalation. "Despite the supply of weapons, Ukraine's position was only getting worse," she said.
She recalled recent statements by the representative of the Christian Democratic Union, Roderich Kiesewetter, who believes that Kiev would have a chance to attack targets in Russia with such missiles. "I think it's pure madness. If we put the German war weapons in Russia, we will bring the war to Germany," said Wagenknecht.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far reacted with restraint to calls from the Ukrainian side to deliver these missiles and in October last year decided not to do so yet. He has repeatedly said that all arms supplies are coordinated with partners, including overseas, and noted that Germany's priority remains to provide Ukraine with air defense and artillery ammunition. 10 years ago, about 600 such missiles were purchased for the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces). Taurus is considered an analogue of the British Storm Shadow, which has already been delivered to Ukraine. However, the range of German-Swedish missiles is much longer - up to 500 km.
About diplomacy
Wagenknecht also believes that diplomatic efforts should be made in Ukraine, since arms supplies will not solve the problem.
"The first step is to agree on a ceasefire and freeze the conflict along the current front line. If this is not done, the situation is likely to become even less beneficial for Ukraine. Then it is necessary to hold negotiations on what will happen in the territories currently occupied by Russia," she said.
"If one says he wants to negotiate, then why don't we try to do the same," the politician commented on Russia's readiness for a diplomatic settlement. She recalled that Ukraine has a decree prohibiting negotiations with the Russian authorities, and that no such decrees have been issued in Russia. At the same time, the politician condemned Russia's decision two years ago to launch a military operation.
In the longer term, she said, it would be possible to resolve the issue of ownership of territories, "as it was in the Saarland after World War II," Wagenknecht noted. She was referring to the referendum in the German federal state of Saarland in 1954, in which more than 96% opposed independence - this implied that the subject remained part of Germany.
Wagenknecht also said that if there were NATO missiles in Ukraine, it would be a clear violation of Russia's security interests. "The United States would not accept such a state of affairs in Mexico or Cuba," she said.
