Federal election
Scholz rejects speculation about a trip to Moscow
Will the Chancellor’s phone call with Putin be followed by a trip to Moscow? A CDU politician speculates publicly about it – causing outrage among his political opponents.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) sharply rejected speculation by CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter about a possible trip by the Chancellor to Moscow during the election campaign. “This is a false claim, you shouldn’t do something like that, it’s deeply indecent, there is no evidence for it,” he said in Berlin. “That’s why I think even sincere people can be outraged when false allegations are made.”
Kiesewetter agreed on an “election campaign surprise”.
Kiesewetter wrote on Platform X on Saturday: “We have to prepare for an election campaign surprise.” There are increasing indications that “Chancellor Scholz is traveling to Moscow or meeting Putin before February 23rd.” On Sunday afternoon, the message could no longer be found on the social network X.
SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch and SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich had previously called on Kiesewetter to take back the statement and apologize to Scholz. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit even announced legal action. “It’s a slander what MP Kiesewetter is doing,” he told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). There are no considerations for such a trip and it would make no sense at all.
Miersch: “Infamous and perfidious”
Miersch called Kiesewetter’s statement “infamous and perfidious.” Kiesewetter’s statement was a “clear violation” of the fairness agreement that all parties represented in the Bundestag except the AfD and BSW agreed to shortly before Christmas. The parties hereby refrain from spreading false information.
Mützenich also reminded the CDU of the fairness agreement. “With such fictitious claims, key representatives of the CDU/CSU faction are obviously trying to construct arguments against Olaf Scholz’s sensible foreign policy course,” he told the German Press Agency.
The leadership of the Union must now check whether Kiesewetter can remain a member of the parliamentary control committee for the secret services for longer, added Mützenich. “After all, highly confidential questions that are also relevant to foreign policy are clarified here.”
Scholz spoke to Putin on the phone in November
In November, Scholz spoke to Putin on the phone for the first time in almost two years, causing anger in Ukraine and also among Eastern European NATO partners. The Chancellor was last in Moscow a few days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
