Appeasement-cuddling or confrontation? Kretschmer’s course is an expression of the divisions within society over how to respond to Putin’s aggression.
Berlin – CDU politicians Norbert Röttgen and Roderich Kiesewetter never tire of demanding more support for Ukraine. But the Union’s line of accusing Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his traffic light coalition of being too hesitant in providing military aid to Kiev is repeatedly undermined by opposing tones from the eastern CDU. The most recent example: Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer is calling for arms aid to Ukraine to be drastically cut.
Of course, this demand is also due to the election campaign in Saxony, where the understanding for the Ukrainian defence struggle is much less pronounced than in the West. Kretschmer is also hinting at a possible (and perhaps mathematically unavoidable) coalition with the BSWSahra Wagenknecht had made coalitions dependent on the stance towards Ukraine.
Intra-party conflicts could escalate
Ultimately, Kretschmer’s course is also an expression of the divisions in German society over how to react to Vladimir Putin’s aggression: appeasement and cuddling or confrontation? Kretschmer’s statements suggest that anyone who is annoyed by the constant bickering of the traffic light coalition and hopes for more harmony in a CDU/CSU-led federal government will probably be disappointed. Kretschmer versus Röttgen is not so different from Rolf Mützenich versus Michael Roth in the SPD. If the AfD and BSW really do as well as predicted in the three eastern elections in the fall, these intra-party conflicts are likely to come to a head. (Klaus Rimpel)
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