The "Manifesto for Peace" is intended to prevent World War III. The initiators Wagenknecht and Schwarzer defend their initiative and believe that Chancellor Scholz was tricked with his decision for battle tanks. Kiev's ambassador has no understanding for such fear scenarios.
The left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht and the women's rights activist Alice Schwarzer have defended their "Manifesto for Peace" against the accusation that they are blind to the plight of the invaded Ukraine. In an interview with the "Spiegel", Schwarzer argued that "half of our manifesto is about the terrible situation in Ukraine, which we want to help bring to an end soon". Wagenknecht became the lawyer for around 12,000 young Ukrainians who were arrested at the border "because they fled and didn't want to do military service." This shows "that the mood in Ukraine is not as clear as it is portrayed". According to Wagenknecht, "Most people have the need above all to live. That is why the top priority must be to end this war, the destruction, the suffering and the dying as quickly as possible."
Almost a week ago, Wagenknecht and Schwarzer called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to focus on negotiations instead of arms deliveries in the Ukraine war. Both warned in their "manifesto" of a "slip slide towards world war and nuclear war". At the latest when the Ukrainian armed forces should attack Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin will "launch a maximum counterattack". The Black Sea peninsula of Crimea has been illegally annexed by Russia.
In an interview with the "Spiegel" they again invoked the danger of a nuclear escalation. "We are getting closer and closer to a nuclear war every day. In the meantime, it could also be triggered accidentally," Schwarzer said without further explanation. Wagenknecht named the incident with a misguided rocket that detonated in Poland in mid-November as evidence of the allegedly steadily growing danger of nuclear war. This rocket was initially mistaken for a Russian one, she said. "Then the alliance case of NATO would have occurred and we would be in the Third World War". A major war doesn't have to start with "Putin pressing the nuclear button."
Germany was "tricked" into promising to supply battle tanks to Ukraine, Schwarzer told the magazine. "As it turns out, Germany wants to fulfill its promises, but the others suddenly have problems. Now, in Moscow's eyes, Germany is the number one villain. Or two. Right after America." Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had previously admitted that a planned alliance with partner countries to deliver a battalion with a total of 31 tanks had not yet materialized.
The "Manifesto for Peace" is supported by 69 first signatories, including the theologian Margot Käßmann, the singer Reinhard Mey and the former EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen. The petition on the change.org website has since been supported by more than 470,000 people. AfD boss Tino Chrupalla was also among the signatories. Schwarzer and Wagenknecht call for a peace rally at the Brandenburg Gate on February 25th.
The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Oleksii Makeiev, told the news portal t-online that Wagenknecht and Schwarzer had "no idea" and no proposals for a solution. "If Wagenknecht and Schwarzer come up with a negotiating strategy that is realistic and could get Russia to stop the war, then I will make them Ukraine's chief negotiators." The Ukrainian ambassador stressed that he could not understand the fear of the Ukraine war escalating into a third world war. "Ukraine is already in World War III," he said. "Russia is waging a war of annihilation against us."
