Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer calls on Markus Lanz on ZDF for more pragmatism in the Ukraine war.
Berlin – “How do you talk to someone who doesn’t want to talk?” Asks Markus Lanz (ZDF) and leaves Michael Kretschmer (CDU Prime Minister in Saxony) against Nadine Lindner (journalist at Deutschlandradio, among others), Katrin Eigendorf (ZDF journalist) and Prof. Volker Quaschning (energy expert) talk about Germany’s dependence on Russia: It’s always the others’ fault, of course.
The war in Ukraine has now lasted exactly six months to the day. Michael Kretschmer calls for more pragmatism, because: Germany cannot do without Russian gas in the next five to ten years. So, in his opinion, the war must be “frozen”. How does he want to freeze a war, Katrin Eigendorf asks specifically, because she herself can only “freeze food in her freezer.” What does it mean to give in to demands in an ongoing war? Giving up Ukraine’s state sovereignty and letting Russia occupy it just to prop up the economy in Germany?
Talk round with Markus Lanz on ZDF: Putin does not want diplomacy
Katrin Eigendorf has lived in Russia for six years and affirms that diplomacy is not what Vladimir Putin wants. She refers to the speech of the Russian President in the Bundestag in 2001, which he even gave in German while he was already in the process of “re-educating” his country into a totalitarian state. Why didn’t anyone see that? Because “Russia has not been seen for what it is.”
A mixture of ignorance and wishful thinking. Only after Olaf Scholz’s “Zeitenwende speech” did she hope that it might finally be understood who she was dealing with “and consequences would be drawn from it.” Putin does not deviate from his “maximum demand” and that means: There can be a lot of talk, but no solution will be found, because everyone “wants to negotiate – except for Putin”.
Michael Kretschmer: Everyone has a political responsibility to organize peace
Michael Kretschmer grew up in the GDR, so he’s also someone “who experienced these Russians,” he explains. Germany should look for “a number of allies”: countries that are also “threatened by this economic upheaval and have no interest in things continuing like this.” From his point of view, the war must be ended “as soon as possible”. Everything that is happening right now is, in his eyes, “an economic downfall”.
As an aggressor, Russia has the primary responsibility “for everything” and there “is no reason – not even a cheap justification – for this war that violates international law”: “But we are all actors”, and especially among those who are currently “in of political responsibility”, the “first task should be to organize peace”, he refers (like the traffic light coalition) to Willy Brandt (SPD).
Markus Lanz (ZDF): Kretscher grumbles – gas and electricity price increases are “toxic.”
In his eyes, “a change in the basic political direction” is needed again, but that has to come from “the middle of society” and he is concerned that current German politics does not manage to “work together in an economic way”. . According to Michael Kretschmer, “an energy system based on sun and wind will not work” – the price increases for gas and electricity are “toxic.” On the other hand, “one must speak out publicly.” But the question remains as to how he can change Vladimir Putin’s mind wants, who is just not willing to negotiate. “It can’t be that the first loser of the war is climate protection,” Michael Kretschmer attempts an absurdly rhetorical avoidance of concrete solutions.
| Markus Lanz (ZDF) on August 24th | Guests |
| Michael Kretschmer | CDU Prime Minister in Saxony |
| Nadine Lindner | Journalist at Deutschlandradio, among others |
| Katrin Eigendorf | ZDF journalist |
| Professor Volker Quaschning | energy expert |
But then Prof. Volker Quaschning speaks energetically Tacheles: The old government “backed on oil and gas”, which is why Germany is now dependent on imports from Russia. The energy expert describes the energy policy of the last 16 years as a “complete total failure.” Only one wind turbine was built in Saxony this year – at this rate “we need a hundred years for the energy transition to work.”
Markus Lanz (ZDF): Energy policy of the last 16 years was “complete total failure”
With the new government, Prof. Volker Quaschning is more likely to see from the concepts presented how it can be possible to become climate-neutral in the next 15 years. When he listens to Michael Kretschmer, he only hears how he has “in principle said goodbye to climate protection”: Because if he predicts that Germany will be “dependent on Putin’s gas for another ten years”, “then you are stepping into all climate goals Ton.”
“This discussion is wonderful if you live in Berlin-Mitte,” but the people in the villages also have a say, Michael Kretschmer snaps back. All groups need to come together to come up with a solution: “That’s how I would do it and that’s the sensible way to do it.” Period. After all, he is an engineer, he doesn’t want it to “end with de-industrialization.” “But the energy prices are so high now because they haven’t made an energy transition,” counters Prof. Volker Quaschning again with Markus Lanz (ZDF) . In his eyes, Michael Kretschmer’s statements are “just a farce”. There’s a lot of buzz around, but concrete results don’t happen. (Tina Waldeck)
