Saxony’s Prime Minister Kretschmer has called for the Ukraine war to be “frozen”. The former Ukrainian ambassador promptly fired at him. The fact that Andriy Melnyk is now upset is not so important – Kretschmer’s attitude is much more worrying.
Somehow they fit together, the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) and the recalled Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk. Some like to deviate from the line of their party if they consider it appropriate in terms of content or from a Saxon perspective. The other flouts all diplomatic customs, politeness and style when he goes into rhetorical battles for his country.
Now save articles for later in “Pocket”.
“Barrdong Herr MP Kretschmer,” wrote Melnyk on Twitter, caricaturing the Saxon pronunciation of “pardon”. “Ukrainians advocate sticking your head in a freezer to freeze your hot Russia fantasies. Your constant pandering to war criminal Putin is disgusting.”
The pugnacious “diplomat” found it disgusting that Kretschmer had demanded “that this war be frozen”. In addition, the Saxon, who is also deputy federal chairman of the CDU, opposed the prevailing opinion that the war had to be won by Ukraine and that Germany should never again buy raw materials from Russia. Only the AfD and Die Linke are much further removed from the politics of the federal government like the CDU/CSU than Kretschmer. The CDU man has even received applause from the outside left.
It is not the first time that Kretschmer has pursued his own course. He was already critical of the sanctions imposed by Chancellor Merkel after the annexation of Crimea, because East German companies were losing orders. He tried to talk to Vladimir Putin in April, when the federal government had already distanced itself. He was still defending Nord Stream 2 when Putin had already positioned his troops and tanks to attack Ukraine. And he strictly refused to supply tanks to Ukraine.
Kretschmer is certainly right that Germany, like other Western countries, will talk to Russia and maintain economic relations after the end of this war of whatever kind. However, it would be extremely unwise to become so dependent on a single country for raw materials, as Germany has done with Russia.
But what does Kretschmer mean by “freezing” the war? Should Putin – while the guns are silent – be able to purge the annexed areas undisturbed and consolidate his power? During this time, should Ukraine get used to the fact that it has lost control of 20 percent of its territory? It is quite possible that Putin would agree to such a solution – for the time being; the Ukrainians certainly wouldn’t.
Kretschmer fears that if the war continues, there is a risk that the economic power needed to organize security and remain competitive will be lost. Translated, this means that solidarity with Ukraine will become too expensive for us in the long run – both economically and politically. The fact that the ex-Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin is rudely outraged about this is not so important.
Much more questionable is Kretschmer’s attitude. It is openly aimed at the mood in the East. There, 40 years of socialist indoctrination have left their mark on many people – namely a certain understanding for the “liberators” of yore and a strong distrust of the USA and NATO. Kretschmer knows that – and serves exactly this mood.
