Saxony: Kretschmer on war: weapons are not more important than talks

Saxony's head of government has triggered opposition with his demand to "freeze" Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Saxony: Kretschmer on war: weapons are not more important than talks

Saxony's head of government has triggered opposition with his demand to "freeze" Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Even months later, he sees no alternative to the ceasefire.

Dresden (dpa/sn) - According to Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU), Germany must become more active in finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict. "This has been a strength of the Federal Republic for decades. Germany enjoys a lot of trust in the world because it has faced up to its own history," he told the German Press Agency in Dresden. German chancellors and foreign ministers remained willing to talk in the most difficult conflicts and helped mediate peace. "Weapons are no more important than talks. Germany has become a credible negotiating partner through its handling of history," stressed Kretschmer. The mediation mission is also an issue of the European Union, of the Europeans. "The war is taking place here, the US is thousands of kilometers away. That's why it's up to the Europeans first to find a solution to the conflict. The destruction caused in Ukraine is enormous, innocent people are being harmed. The dying has to stop ." In the spring, Kretschmer repeatedly spoke out in favor of a diplomatic solution, coining the phrase that the war must be "frozen." He had been openly criticized and hostile for this, including by the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk. However, Kretschmer remained true to his line and pointed out that there was no alternative to an armistice and that the war had to come to an end. He now sees himself confirmed by statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and others. "We can't just talk about arms deliveries to Ukraine," said Kretschmer. Calling for negotiations is basically a matter of course. In the past few months, however, this has unfortunately been a blank space. Back in the spring, his argument was based on the assessment that the development would lead to extreme shortages with price increases and the collapse of supply chains. "Unfortunately, that's how it happened. We can't turn back history, but we have to work now to end this war as soon as possible." Kretschmer had repeatedly described Russia's war against Ukraine as a crime and thought sanctions were the right thing to do. At the same time, he advocated not allowing relations with the large European neighbor in the east to be completely severed and that raw materials should later also be sourced from Russia again. Kretschmer argues that Russia will still exist after the end of the war and that is a fact.