Courtesy of Mish.
The cold war took another twist last week when a Senior German Politician Endorsed Russian Takeover of Crimea.
Former state premier Matthias Platzeck, chairman of the German-Russian Forum business lobby and erstwhile Social Democrat (SPD) chief, is the first high-ranking German to say the West should endorse the annexation as a way to help resolve the Ukraine crisis.
Platzeck, 60, told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper: “A wise man changes his mind – a fool never will… The annexation of Crimea must be retroactively arranged under international law so that it’s acceptable for everyone.”
Platzeck, Brandenburg’s popular state premier from 2002 to 2013, struck a nerve in eastern Germany where there is far less support for sanctions against Russia than in the West.
“We have to find a resolution so that Putin won’t walk off the field as the loser,” said Platzeck, whose career was nurtured by ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder – a friend of Putin. He said areas held by separatists will never be part of Ukraine.
Political Infighting
Platzeck’s statement shocked a lot of people including German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier who stated Germany will Never Accept Crimea Annexation.
“We don’t accept what has happened and we don’t accept Europe’s borders being changed again 70 years after the war,” said Steinmeier.
Cracks Form
Der Spiegel reports Cracks Form in Berlin Over Russia Stance.
A political solution is more distant than ever in the Russia conflict, with the German government and EU having exhausted their diplomatic options. A rift may now be growing between Chancellor Merkel and her foreign minister over Berlin’s tough stance against Moscow.
Dead End for Merkel
Today, Reuters reports Merkel Hits Diplomatic Dead-End With Putin.
Since February, when the pro-Russian president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, fled Kiev amid violent protests on the Maidan square, Germany has taken the lead in trying to convince Putin to engage with the West.
Merkel has spoken to him by phone three dozen times. Her Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD), traditionally a Russia-friendly party, has invested hundreds of hours trying to secure a negotiated solution to the conflict….
