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Green co-chairman Omid Nouripour in Berlin
Photo: Philipp Znidar / dpa
The traffic light coalition is largely unanimous in its stance on the Ukraine war.
But now the Greens are upset about statements by SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich.
Omid Nouripour, co-chairman of the Greens, was "irritated" by a new comment by Mützenich - especially at this point in time, shortly before the first anniversary of the beginning of the Russian war of aggression.
What happened?
In the ARD program "Report from Berlin" on Sunday evening, Mützenich made a fundamentally positive statement about a Brazilian proposal for possible mediation in the Russian war against Ukraine.
"I think you have to take up every initiative that might end this war earlier, because I think it will only get bloodier on the battlefield," said the SPD parliamentary group leader.
The longer the war lasts, the more difficult negotiations might be later on.
"That's why Brazil's announcement is important, but other governments must now follow suit." The federal government reacted cautiously to the proposal.
Mützenich had also criticized a controversial statement by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens).
"The fact that the foreign minister coined such a sentence is actually only useful for propaganda in Moscow," he said.
At the end of January, Baerbock called for the Western allies to stand together with the following words: "We are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other." This statement at the Council of Europe caused a great stir and criticism.
The Foreign Office later made it clear that Baerbock did not mean that Germany or its allies were involved in the war.
The federal government emphasized: "We support Ukraine, but we are not a party to the war."
Nouripour said, firstly, that the Kremlin showed no willingness to engage in genuine peace negotiations.
Secondly, Mützenich fails to recognize that there is "close coordination between the Chancellery and the Foreign Office".
It also remains the case that Ukraine decides when, where and about what peace talks are held.
mrc/dpa