Defense politician Strack-Zimmermann looks on Caren Miosga China as a possible mediator between Ukraine and Russia. She defended the debt brake – even against criticism from the Defense Minister.
In the ARD talk show Caren Miosga FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann sees China as a possible mediator between Ukraine and Russia discussed. Efforts to find mediators were underway in the background, said the chairwoman of the Bundestag’s defense committee: “I can’t tell you any details, but this much: the globe will of course be scanned.”
However, this is not easy. “This whole world is set on fire by this war, it’s not just European.” The question is therefore: “Who could make a difference?” said the FDP politician. Switzerland is no longer perceived as neutral by Russia and has been rejected as a mediator by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
China is a good choice because it has an interest in the stability of Europe for economic reasons and also has reliable relations with Moscow: “In this respect, China could play a role.”
International Peace Conference in Switzerland
There will be an international peace conference in Switzerland in June. 80 nations are expected to take part. However, Russia had declared that it did not want to take part. President Putin is scheduled to travel to China in May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was only recently revealed that representatives of the Chinese secret service had been in Moscow for nine days.
Political scientist Nicole Deitelhoff advocated supporting China’s negotiating efforts. If Beijing’s peace initiative bears fruit, “a lot has already been gained,” said Deitelhoff. Although the talks are still unofficial, a broad coalition among the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India and China) would help bring the conflicting parties together at the table.
Prantl: “Different ones attitudes”
Criticism of Strack-Zimmermann came from Heribert Prantl, columnist for the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). He accused her of intransigence in the debate about Russia’s war against Ukraine. It must be possible to discuss different attitudes. “In the way you lead the discussion, you convince those who are already convinced. You don’t convince the others.” He knows many people who are frightened by the FDP politician with her rhetoric.
Regarding possible peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the SZ journalist explained: “I don’t know whether Putin really doesn’t want to negotiate.” Maybe he just wants to raise his price for future negotiations.
Debate about the debt brake
Strack-Zimmermann also defended her party leader Christian Lindner and his adherence to the debt brake on the show. She fears that easing the debt brake would lead to the federal ministries increasing their spending overall, not just the spending planned for arming the Bundeswehr. “Then a wall would break,” said the defense politician.
When asked by Caren Miosga to what extent this attitude contradicted Strack-Zimmermann’s commitment to military support for Ukraine, she explained: “I believe that Ukraine doesn’t think about how the federal government finances anything.”
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently criticized compliance with the debt brake. In the ARD program Maischberger He explained last week: “We are talking about a realignment of the Bundeswehr and are talking about three-digit billions. I don’t believe, and actually no one can believe that, that this will be compensated for with cuts in other parts of the federal budget.”
The SPD politician also criticized Finance Minister Lindner for sticking to the debt brake and the imposed austerity measures, which are forcing federal ministries to cut spending.
Criticism of former Defense Minister Lambrecht
There are other reasons behind the fact that financing the Bundeswehr’s rearmament is now costing the state dearly, said Strack-Zimmermann. Overall, the Bundeswehr has been severely underfunded in recent decades: “We have completely scaled down the army.” The fact that it now has to be rearmed quickly poses problems for the government: “We should have spent more money much earlier. Ultimately, it is a question of priority.”
The FDP politician also sees former Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht as responsible for the late implementation of the “turning point”. The current Defense Minister Pistorius is doing a good job, but he still has to manage Lambrecht’s legacy. “The year with his predecessor was a lost year,” said Strack-Zimmermann.