SPD: Lars Klingbeil admits mistakes in Russia policy

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SPD leader Klingbeil

Photo: LISI NIESNER / REUTERS

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has acknowledged his party's mistakes in Russia policy over the past few decades.

»In our search for similarities, we have often overlooked what separates us.

That was a mistake," said Klingbeil at a discussion event for his party in Berlin.

After the end of the Cold War, the SPD believed that relations with Russia would simply keep getting better: “This has created blind spots in our dealings with Russia.

And that has led to mistakes in dealing with Russia.«

Klingbeil advocated a fundamental change in attitude towards Russia.

The statement that security and stability in Europe can only exist with and not against Russia is no longer valid.

"Today it's about organizing security against Russia," said the SPD leader: "Russia has said goodbye to the system of common security and the common system of values.

Our security must function without Russia.«

In his speech, Klingbeil specifically named

in the period after the end of the Cold War:

• It was believed that

  history obliges both countries to each other

  .

  The SPD failed to recognize that

  Putin sees things differently

  and is using history for

  autocratic consolidation internally

  and his

  great power politics externally

  .

• The

  paradigm of change through rapprochement did not work

  .

  Ever closer economic ties would not have contributed to a more stable European order.

• Germany has made itself

  dependent on Russia with its energy policy

  : "Such a one-sided dependence must never happen again."

• The

  interests of the Eastern and Central European partners

  had

  not been sufficiently taken into account

  .

  This led to a

  massive loss of trust

  .

There are certainly other mistakes that have been made, said Klingbeil.

It is important to him to name them and to draw the right lessons for the future from them.

ptz/dpa