200 German SPD members urge Scholz to facilitate talks on Ukraine
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The letter argues that most of the German public goes against the incessant extension of "the spiral of violence" and advocates for diplomacy and peace.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a news conference in Berlin, Germany in August 2020 (Reuters)
An open letter, introduced by former Chancellor Willy Brandt's son and SPD politician Peter Brandt, was signed on Friday by over 200 members of the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to catalyze and ease the process of resolving the Ukrainian conflict.
Among the signees were European Commissioner for Enlargement and former Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry Guenter Verheugen, former co-leader of the SPD Norbert Walter-Borjans, and ex-Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse.
The letter, titled "Make Peace", stated, "The danger of escalating hostilities grows with each passing day. The shadow of a nuclear war hangs over Europe. But the world must not slide into a new great war. The world needs peace."
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It argues that most of the German public goes against the incessant extension of "the spiral of violence" and advocates for diplomacy and peace as opposed to the techniques of militarism - one that the West often favors.
The letter read, "We call on the chancellor, along with France, to enlist the support of Brazil, China, India and Indonesia to broker a cease-fire soon," stressing that only this approach will provide the possibility for a common vision of peace initiative in Europe.
According to the letter's authors, peace "can only be achieved under the international law and only with Russia," and it quoted former Chancellor Brandt as saying that it is necessary to "go against the current when it again tries to go the wrong way."
This comes a few days after sources told Bloomberg that German authorities are planning to increase financial assistance for the Kiev regime by as much as €12 billion ($13 billion) and that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is waiting to receive the go-ahead from the budget committee of the German Bundestag to include an additional €5.4 billion in military assistance.
However, Pistorius said on Saturday his country was not going to send additional Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. "I currently do not see [the possibility of] deliveries of additional Leopard tanks beyond those announced," Pistorius told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
