German Social Democrats Disavow Putin

The SPD's previous policy towards the Kremlin was invalidated.

Deputies of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) admitted the incorrectness of their previous policy towards the aggressor country Russia under the leadership of dictator Vladimir Putin. They assured that they stand firmly on the side of Ukraine.

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil said on the NTV German channel. According to him, it was “a mistake not to distance from the Putin system initially.”

Bundestag SPD leader Rolf Mützenich Rolf Mützenich said that he “completely underestimated” the imperial thinking of the Kremlin dictator.

However, Mützenich rejected all attempts to discredit the party’s policy towards the Russian Federation and once again called for using diplomatic opportunities to end conflicts.

The party leadership noted that “they did not always correctly assess the events of recent years.” They admitted that hopes for democratization of the Russian Federation, which was supposed to be facilitated by strengthening economic ties, were a mistake. As a result, Germany "became unilaterally dependent on Russia in terms of energy policy."