From "terror list" to war: Klingbeil and Mützenich dare to go to Kiev

The SPD has long relied on cooperation with Russia, but party leaders are now admitting that they made mistakes.

From "terror list" to war: Klingbeil and Mützenich dare to go to Kiev

The SPD has long relied on cooperation with Russia, but party leaders are now admitting that they made mistakes. In Ukraine one can still speak badly of parts of the party. In particular, on parliamentary group leader Mützenich because of his reluctance to deliver weapons. Now he is making his own picture in Kiev.

A good year after the Russian attack on Ukraine, SPD party leader Lars Klingbeil and faction leader Rolf Mützenich have arrived in the war zone for their first visit. The two arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev early in the morning on a special train for talks with representatives of the Ukrainian government and parliament later in the day.

Klingbeil assured Ukraine of further support for the defensive fight against Russia. At a meeting with Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, he pointed out that Germany had already delivered or promised numerous weapon systems in addition to political and financial aid. He called the Iris-T anti-aircraft defense system and the Leopard 2 and Marder tanks.

"Rolf Mützenich and I are here now to talk to many people in Ukraine and to see what further support can look like. And above all to make it clear that the support we are providing will continue without restriction," said Klingbeil. "As the SPD, we have always made it clear that we fully support Ukraine," said the party leader. "You've seen that since day one of the outbreak of war."

Klitschko called the visit of the two SPD politicians "an incredibly important signal to Ukraine and outside of Ukraine". It is important for him to talk to them about further support for Ukraine. "The stronger the support for Ukraine, the faster we will win this war."

The SPD is in a difficult position in Ukraine because of its Russia policy before the invasion. It is accused of having misjudged Russian President Vladimir Putin for decades and relying too heavily on cooperation with Russia. However, both Klingbeil and Mützenich have already openly admitted misjudgments. In December, the SPD wants to redefine its foreign policy and thus also its attitude towards Russia at a party conference.

In the Ukraine, Mützenich has repeatedly been offended because of his reluctance to deliver arms and his promotion of diplomacy. The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk only attacked him sharply on Twitter in January. "He (Mützenich) will forever go down in history as Russia's most valuable asset in blocking aid to Ukraine since the start of full-scale Russian aggression," he wrote.

In July 2022, the "Center against Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine" put Mutzenich on a list of 70 international personalities accused of spreading Russian "narratives". Mützenich then accused the Ukrainian government of putting him on a "terrorist list," which led to "secondary threats." The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry rejected this.

For security reasons, the exact program of the visit was not initially published. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, several high-ranking SPD politicians have been in Ukraine - above all Chancellor Olaf Scholz in June 2022. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius traveled there just a few days after taking office.