Klingbeil and Mützenich in Kiev: a visit with a signal effect

In the Ukraine, the leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Mützenich, was often criticized. Now he traveled to Kiev with party leader Klingbeil – an “incredibly important signal,” said Mayor Klitschko.

Platform 103 in the Przemysl train station right on the Polish-Ukrainian border is bathed in a yellowish light when the small group led by SPD leader Lars Klingbeil and SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich board the special train to Kiev: two wagons and two locomotives for two SPD MPs with a special function and a special mission.

“Now, a year after the outbreak of the war, it’s also a matter of continuing to pay attention,” says Klingbeil – “to ensure that support for Ukraine continues, militarily, politically and financially. That’s why the conscious signal, now at this point in time to ride together.”

“Want to talk has grown”

The trip is something special for Rolf Mützenich in particular, since after the start of the war he was included on a Ukrainian “list” of people who were classified as too pro-Russian. The relationship between the Ukrainian government and the SPD parliamentary group leader was far from the best. Above all, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, rarely missed an opportunity to put the SPD politician in a negative light – most recently he described him as the “biggest stumbling block for the turn of the century and German arms deliveries to Ukraine”.

At the passport control at the Ukrainian border, however, Mützenich can enter the country without any problems. He says he has had an invitation from the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament for a long time. “We also had the impression that the contacts and the desire for talks grew with the change of ambassador in Germany.”

After ten and a half hours on the train, the two are greeted on the platform by the German envoy Bertram von Moltke, and then they rush to the Klitschkos. Kiev’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko is happy – he briefly summarizes what he hopes to gain from the SPD politicians’ visit: “Support.” However, he does specify what the presence of Mützenich and Klingbeil means: It is “an incredibly important signal, in Ukraine and outside of Ukraine”.

“Support continues unconditionally”

A little later: air raid alarm. A Russian plane has taken off from the country’s borders, and it is not yet known whether it will send missiles towards Kiev, which is protected by German air defenses. “The two of us were in touch when it came to ‘Iris-T’, a missile defense system that’s really helping this city,” says Klingbeil. “Germany does a lot there.” During the talks with the deputy defense minister, the foreign minister, the prime minister and the speaker of the parliament, Klingbeil and Mützenich made it clear: “The support we are providing will continue without restriction.”

Wladimir Klitschko, the brother of the mayor of Kiev, leads Klingbeil across the central square, the Maidan. He thinks it’s good that the SPD politicians have left their Berlin comfort zone and come to Kiev and are learning from their mistakes, albeit belatedly. “This 180-degree change of course in terms of pro-Russian politics is also taking place today, here in Kiev.”

This is particularly aimed at Mützenich. One can see that the leader of the parliamentary group is visibly upset by the anti-tank barriers and the black-and-white photos of the dead from the 2014 protests posted on the square. It’s depressing for him, he says. “As you may know, I’m not someone who pushes his way into the public eye for the sake of the pictures, I’m here to get an up-to-date impression with the interlocutors.”

Meeting with Zelenskyy

And then there is a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy almost at the end of the day in Kiev. Until recently, it was not clear whether the SPD politicians would be received by the Ukrainian president. The fact that this is happening, both are asked to a briefing on the situation of the Ukrainian army and that the conversation lasts almost 40 minutes, can certainly be read as a further sign of relaxation between the SPD and Kiev.

The air alert in Kiev also went off lightly. There have been no drone or rocket attacks on Kiev today either.

And while Mützenich is returning to Berlin, Klingbeil is traveling on to Warsaw for the conference of Eastern European Social Democrats. For a long time, their fears and concerns about Russia were not taken seriously. There is a lot to make up for the SPD.