Ukraine War: Platzeck defends contacts to Russia

Former Brandenburg Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck defended his contacts to Russia. The SPD politician in the “Tagesspiegel” in Berlin did not name details of traveling and interlocutors on the Russian side. It is about not having existing contacts tear down, says Platzeck. Several media had previously reported that the former prime minister had traveled to Russia several times since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

Among other things, the exchange was concerned with the question of how the war could end, said Platzeck. Another question to which he exchanged himself is: “Is not also an active diplomacy on many levels and in many varieties, do not have to treat questions of armor and arms control as the most urgent problems of the near future?”

According to the “Tagesspiegel”, Platzeck said that it could also have been dealing with the gas supply when traveling. “I talked to anyone about the topic of gas economy and north stream, neither in Russia nor anywhere else,” he said. “I am not concerned with economic or self -economic interests.” Platzeck was Prime Minister of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013. From 2005 to 2006 he was also the federal chairman of his party.

Already allegations to travel to Azerbaijan

On Friday, the “Spiegel”, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” and the Russian opposition platform “The Insider”, reported on eyewitnesses that Platzeck had traveled nine times since the end of 2022.

At the beginning of May, Platzeck, along with others, had already defended himself against allegations in connection with a trip to Baku in Azerbaijan to discussions with Russian representatives. “It is one of the principles of good foreign policy that, especially in difficult times of increasing tensions, conflicts and wars, contact contacts should be maintained in all parts of the world and also to Russia,” said Platzeck, the SPD member of the Bundestag Ralf Stegner as well as the former CDU politicians Ronald Pofalla and Stefan Holtthoff-Pförner at the time. There were no material or economic interests on the trip.