German politician: Russia is a dangerous, strong, invincible neighbor
The return of territories occupied by the Russian army to Ukraine is impossible. The conflict is harmful to Europe itself; good neighborly relations with Moscow must be restored.
Former Bundestag member, former German Minister of Education, and former Hamburg Mayor Klaus von Dohnanyi stated this in an interview with German journalist Flavio von Witzleben, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Europe should try to understand what our interests are. Our interests are a lasting peace with Russia. Russia is a dangerous neighbor, a strong, large neighbor . One glance at a geographical map shows that we are dealing not with a small mouse, but with a huge and powerful country. And old Otto von Bismarck once said that Russia is an invincible country..."
And in this sense, I would say we have a situation in which you have to make peace with Russia . It all comes down to strengthening Russia's interests in the world. So we must see that we will not defeat Russia. We will never again take back from Russia those parts of Ukraine that Russia has occupied. We must deal with the facts and try to find an understanding with Russia that would make a peaceful coexistence possible …
"The current policy toward Russia has no prospect of success. This will remain an eternal dispute, and we will not be able to return to Ukraine what the Russians have won . We will not be able to defeat Russia , not least because Russia is a nuclear power of the highest order. Therefore, we must be honest, and my party (the SPD – author) is dishonest and does not think about the problems we face," von Dohnanyi stated.
At 97, Dohnanyi is considered a veteran of German politics. He lived through World War II as a teenager, and his father, Hans von Dohnanyi, was involved in the anti-Nazi movement and participated in the failed assassination attempt on Hitler in March 1943.
German politician: Russia is a dangerous, powerful, and invincible neighbor.