Schäuble admits to "Maischberger" mistakes in Russia policy - and feels sorry for Schröder

Created: 05/19/2022, 12:05 p.m

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Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) - senior president of the 20th German Bundestag - as a guest on "Maischberger" (ARD).

© ARD media library (screenshot)

Political veteran Wolfgang Schäuble speaks to Maischberger about the mistakes of the Merkel years.

The CDU politician supports Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO.

Berlin – "For the first time I have no real answer as to how we should get out of this terrible danger".

Honest words and a bitter admission in the political talk "Maischberger" in the first by Wolfgang Schäuble.

The CDU politician is one of the most experienced politicians that Germany has to offer and warns of difficult times "that are coming our way": "We underestimate the economic consequences".

Wolfgang Schäuble, who was born in September 1942 in the middle of the Second World War, has been a professional politician for more than 50 years.

He held several ministerial posts and survived an assassination attempt with serious injuries, which forced him into a wheelchair.

Schäuble is considered the "architect of German unity".

Sandra Maischberger wants to know whether he is afraid of a nuclear war.

"Yes," replies the CDU grand seigneur and is in favor of Ukraine joining both NATO and the EU.

Maischberger - these guests discussed with:

• Dr.

  _

  Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU)

  - Senior President of the 20th German Bundestag

• dr

  Andreas Gassen

  - Board of Directors of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV)

• Dr.

  _

  Christina Berndt -

  science journalist for the

  Süddeutsche Zeitung

As experts: 

• Markus Preiß -

  Head of the ARD studio in Brussels

• Jagoda Marinić -

  columnist of

  Stern

• Walter Sittler -

  actor and producer

"Into the EU and into NATO," Maischberger summarizes Schäuble's previously differentiated statements, and he makes it clear again: Every country has the "right to decide for itself whether it wants democracy and the rule of law".

Ukraine is no more a threat to Russia than Georgia is.

According to Schäuble, what Vladimir Putin "perceives as a threat" is the fact that people in Russia's neighboring states "obviously find law-abiding, liberal democracies more attractive" than his dictatorship.

Schäuble draws a comparison with the building of the Wall in the GDR: "The Wall wasn't built because there was a threat of aggression from Bonn at the time," Schäuble said to applause from the studio guests, "but because the people in the GDR would have run away if you hadn't locked them up with a wall!"

Schäuble sees "terrible parallels" to Adolf Hitler in Putin's strategy

The former CDU minister also sees "terrible parallels" to Adolf Hitler's policies and the appeasement response of the European states.

From Putin's point of view, what we in the West perceived as a "political miracle" - reunification and the end of the Cold War - was the "collapse of the Soviet Union" and "the greatest catastrophe of the past century".

A circumstance that he plans to "undo".

The same reasoning that Hitler had used regarding the consequences for Germany after the First World War.

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Senior President of the 20th German Bundestag Dr.

Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) in conversation with Sandra Maischberger (ARD).

© Screenshot ARD Mediathek

Schäuble speaks somewhat contradictorily of a "know-it-all" in relation to the criticism of Germany's long Russia policy, the rapprochement of Russia in the Schröder and Merkel legislatures.

In retrospect, Schäuble positions himself as a Merkel critic.

“Nord Stream 2 was a mistake.

She knows I didn't agree with her.

She wasn't happy." Maischberger wants to know why this dependence on Russia was not seen as a danger: "Was it looking the other way?

Don't want to admit it?” “Well,” says Schäuble.

He also believed he had to cooperate with Russia: "Today I know: I was wrong, we were all wrong."

Schäuble: Without the military protection of the Americans, Putin won't take us seriously!

The idea of ​​a prosperous Russian-European cooperation still sounds tempting today when Schäuble paints it on the ideal wall: "It would be best if Russia said: Yes, we will refrain from ever changing borders with violence or the threat of violence .

And: We want to work closely with you!

Everyone would be happy.” But Russia's Ukraine war and the anachronistic thirst for power of Putin and his officials would have destroyed this possibility.

Schäuble calls for a reorganization of the EU - especially with regard to the question of defense: "The EU must become much more efficient and much more capable of acting in certain areas".

The USA plays an important role in this: "Without America we are not able to reliably protect peace and freedom in Europe." Without this protection, according to the former interior minister, "Putin does not take us seriously at all!"

Schäuble has more sympathy than malice for ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, whom EU parliamentarians want to put on the sanctions list.

Although it is "a disgrace" for a former chancellor to offer his services to another country, "I almost feel sorry for him," says Schäuble.

Actor Walter Sittler warns not to deprive Schröder of his dignity, despite his obvious misconduct.

He should keep the opportunity to explain himself, also because one does not know what would be breathing down Schröder's neck: "Putin and his people are not squeamish!"

Disagreement over the risk of corona in the fall.

Experts advocate wearing masks

Maischberger, who always tries to cover the widest possible spectrum of topics with her show, packs a debate on the current Corona situation at the end of her talk format.

KBV boss Andreas Gassen, who divulges that he called Health Minister Karl Lauterbach shortly before the broadcast, says: "The killer variant will not come."

Health journalist Christina Berndt is less relaxed and warns that, looking at Asia, it can be seen that the pandemic is “not over” but is “fully there” and will “come back to Germany in the fall”.

On the other hand, there is agreement on the subject of masks, which “have an extremely high symbolic value in Germany”, according to Gassen.

He advocates temporary wearing and names trains, elevators and crowded rooms in particular as critical places.

Gassen criticizes the data on the number of infections, which is still “bad”.

Conclusion of the “Maischberger.

The week” talks

Hearing an experienced person's opinion can be a guide.

Political professional Schäuble knows with "Maischberger" how he has to place himself.

He was given the stage to formulate a German and essentially Christian-democratic position in the Ukraine war.

It wasn't about Schäuble as a person.

Although Maischberger faded in an image and a film from the early years of Schäuble's career, he refrained from asking any questions about critical topics, such as the CDU donation affair, which was commented on on the show's Twitter channel.

The discussion about Corona seemed out of place, since nothing new was said, autumn still feels a long way off, presumed dangerous variants are still speculation and against the background of the Russian belligerence and economic distress there are dangers of a completely different magnitude.