These women divide Germany

On the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, some politicians are calling for more weapons to be supplied by Western Ukraine. Others, on the other hand, argue in favor of slowing down precisely this arms supply and instead sitting down at the negotiating table with Russia. Among them are left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht (53) and women’s rights activist Alice Schwarzer (80). The two women published a “Manifesto for Peace” in February. In it they warn of an escalation and call for compromises “on both sides”. On Saturday they want to gather their supporters for a demonstration in front of the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin.

Wagenknecht and Schwarzer are not alone in their views. More than half a million people have now signed the manifesto calling for peace talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine. According to the number of signatures on the website change.org the number of supporters passed the 600,000 mark on Thursday.

The politician and publicist call on the federal government around Olaf Scholz (64) to “lead a strong alliance for a ceasefire and for peace negotiations” at the German and European level, instead of continuing to provide weapons to Ukraine. It states that Ukraine cannot win a war against the world’s largest nuclear power. Negotiation does not mean capitulating, but ‘compromising on both sides’ with the aim of ‘avoiding hundreds of thousands of deaths and worse’.

The Ukrainian foreign minister disagrees

The petition’s demands are controversial and divide Germany. Critics accuse the women of playing into the hands of the Kremlin with their ideas. They wonder: what is the point of negotiating with a country where rape and shootings are commonplace? Ukrainians must continue to fight, this is the only way to achieve real peace.

The CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter has therefore launched a counter-petition entitled “Give up Ukraine now? Not in our name!” started. It has just over 14,200 signatures so far. “Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian women and their children in this country, whose husbands, brothers and fathers are currently fighting on the battlefield, are amazed by these ideologues who commanding ‘peace’ with a manifesto – at any cost,” the petition reads. just peace.”

Wagenknecht and Schwarzer’s demands also angered the Ukrainian foreign minister. Dmytro Kuleba told the newspapers of the Funke media group and the French newspaper “Ouest-France” that he currently sees no chance for diplomatic initiatives to end the war in his country. “I like everyone who wants to achieve peace through diplomatic initiatives,” Kuleba said. «But how can such an initiative work? Should the price of peace be for Russia to remain in the occupied territories?”

French President Emmanuel Macron also sees no room for negotiations with Moscow in the war in Ukraine. It is “not the time for dialogue” with Russia, Macron said at the Munich security conference last week. Russia had “chosen war”. Negotiations can only take place on terms that “Ukraine chooses,” Macron said. (man/AFP)

Source: Blick