In the talk at “Markus Lanz”, SPD veteran Klaus von Dohnanyi caused outrage with his understanding of Vladimir Putin’s intervention in the Syrian conflict. When Lanz digs deeper, the 93-year-old evades.
Klaus von Dohnanyi is a political veteran. The 93-year-old has been a member of the SPD for 65 years, sat for the Social Democrats in the Bundestag for twelve years and was Minister of Education in Willy Brandt’s cabinet from 1972 to 1974. Even though von Dohnanyi has now withdrawn somewhat from the public eye, he still occasionally appears in political talks. The round at “Markus Lanz” on Thursday evening dealt in detail with the Ukraine war, in which von Dohnanyi caused a stir with a defense of Vladimir Putin.
When Lanz and the strategy consultant Julius van de Laar listed what Putin had done in Crimea, Chechnya, Georgia or Syria, the SPD veteran got involved. You have to unravel things individually, says von Dohnanyi. “In Syria, for example, Putin is defending his ally Assad, like it or not,” von Dohnanyi continued. The Bundestag’s research service pointed out that the Americans had broken international law by supporting an insurgent army. “Putin behaved in accordance with international law as he owed an ally,” said von Dohnanyi, citing the report by the scientific service and the moderator shook his head.
“Markus Lanz”: Klaus von Dohnanyi shows that he understands Russia
“Herr von Dohnanyi, no,” exclaimed Lanz, who insisted on continuing the Syria issue and wants to know whether Putin’s deployment in Syria was really in order under international law. “That’s what the Bundestag says. I’m quoting the Scientific Service of the German Bundestag,” said von Dohnanyi. Lanz questioned his guest whether he shared the same opinion. He doesn’t know enough about certain things, but when the scientific service gives a written report to the Bundestag, “then it’s worth discussing,” argued the 93-year-old. “I’m not defending Putin, neither today nor yesterday.”
Lanz, however, was still not satisfied with the answer. Referring to the state torture proceedings in Koblenz, he talked about the interrogation protocols of victims of torture by the Assad regime. “You get chills down your spine. This man, Assad, who would have been history without Putin for a long time, is responsible for that. And it was Vladimir Putin who made sure that this regime remained firmly in the saddle,” it blurted out lance He’s really sorry, but you couldn’t emotionally quote the bombing of Hamburg in 1943 and make a purely legal argument about Aleppo. “I’m not a friend of Assad, I’m not a friend of Putin. I believe that certain things cannot be solved through war and violence,” von Dohnanyi replied. This also requires diplomacy and understanding on the part of the other side. “It always sounds as if we are to blame ourselves, but only one man is to blame for the war in Ukraine and that is Vladimir Putin,” Lanz replied. At least there von Dohnanyi agreed with him.
Source: Stern
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