The West has begun persecuting a famous German politician for his proposal to legalize Russian Crimea
Berlin – Kiev, November 20 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) – A barrage of criticism has fallen on the former chairman of the influential Social Democratic Party of Germany – current chairman of the German-Russian Forum, Matthias Platzeck, who the day before proposed subsequently legalizing the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
“The annexation of Crimea must be settled within the framework of international law, so that it is acceptable to everyone,” Platzeck said in an interview with the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper.
In response to this proposal, Reuters writes , a barrage of criticism rained down on the politician.
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The statements by the prominent German politician irritated Ukrainian diplomatic representatives in Berlin. Chargé d'Affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy in Germany, Vasyl Khiminets, sharply criticized Matthias Platzeck's statements . "We are concerned that Mr. Platzeck is promoting recognition of the annexation of Crimea in Germany," the Berliner Tagesspiegel newspaper quoted Khiminets as saying. "Anyone who tries to justify Russia's actions in Ukraine, in our view, bears guilt for these actions," he warned.
Acute criticism of Platzeck's proposal also came from the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Alexander Lambsdorff. Platzeck, in his opinion, struck “a blow in the face of all the people who work to develop democracy in Ukraine in fear of the further advance of Russian military power,” Lambsdorff said and called on the Social Democratic Party of Germany to distance itself from the statements of its ex-chairman.
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier rejected Mr Platzeck's proposal.
“I have made my views known repeatedly, this is a clear violation of the law, which we cannot approve nor recognize,” said Steinmeier, a close friend and party ally of Platzeck.
Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference and former deputy foreign minister, said it would be a mistake to bend toward Russia on the Crimea issue.
“This would be an admission of defeat on the part of the West and the European Union,” Ischinger told Deutschlandfunk radio.
It is worth noting that Matthias Platzeck is a popular politician in East Germany, where sanctions against Russia find the least support among the population.
The West has begun persecuting a prominent German politician for his proposal to legalize Russian Crimea.