Stegner Criticizes Germany's Stance on Russia - Criticism from the Greens and CDU

DTS News Agency Stegner Criticizes Germany's Stance on Russia - Criticism from the Greens and CDU 4 hours • 2 minutes reading time Berlin (dts News Agency) - SPD MP Ralf Stegner has sharply criticized German-Russian relations – and accordingly defended his own meetings with Putin loyalists, bypassing official channels. "We have a form of communication that is on the verge of declaring war," Stegner told "Spiegel." "At a time when all ties to Russia are being severed, I therefore consider any contact to be worthwhile." Stegner and other high-ranking politicians, such as former Brandenburg Minister-President Matthias Platzeck (SPD) and former Chancellor's Office Chief Ronald Pofalla (CDU), had participated in several meetings with Russian envoys in Azerbaijan. Stegner defended the talks in Baku as an effort to continue listening to one another. "I warn against discussions becoming so narrow that one is no longer allowed to talk to certain people," Stegner said. As a member of parliament, Stegner is a member of the Parliamentary Control Committee and, as such, has access to intelligence information. Several members of parliament expressed outrage at the unreported trip to Baku. However, Stegner rejects criticism of Kremlin influence. He paid for the trip himself, did not share any confidential information, and sees no reason to disclose an unofficial trip. At the same time, he consistently strongly condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine during the talks. Green Party member of parliament Anton Hofreiter, for example, expressed his dismay at the meeting with Russian representatives. "The meeting between Stegner and his colleagues in Azerbaijan poses a significant security risk for Germany and Europe," Hofreiter told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Saturday editions). Talks – even with autocrats – can be important and meaningful, and they are always part of conflict resolution, Hofreiter continued. "But this treatment of high-ranking Kremlin representatives demonstrates nothing but naivety and the blind hope of returning to cheap oil and gas from Russia. This poses a massive security risk for Germany and our European partners," he criticized. Instead, negotiations with Putin must be conducted at the highest level from a position of strength. Hofreiter also called for consequences for Stegner: "With his behavior, Stegner disqualifies himself from becoming a member of the Parliamentary Control Committee again, where he has access to the most secret information." He appealed: "I expect Merz and Klingbeil to immediately stop these meetings and hold those involved accountable," Hofreiter said. He called on the Chancellor to take his dealings with Putin into his own hands, in close coordination with European partners. The deputy chairman of the Intelligence Control Committee, Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU), also attacked Stegner. "The PKGr warns strongly against Russia's hybrid influence against Germany, and especially relevant multipliers and decision-makers," Kiesewetter told the "Tagesspiegel" (Saturday edition). "Therefore, Mr. Stegner will have to face some questions here." In an initial reaction to a joint report by the ARD magazine "Kontraste" and the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit," the SPD foreign policy spokesman stated that the trip to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, took place in mid-April. "Such meetings are not private; they contradict Germany's foreign and security policy strategy," Kiesewetter stated, adding: "This provides Russia with a gateway for manipulation and influence."