Russia’s Red Flags: How NATO’s Calculated Response is Shaping Global Politics

In Maybrit Illner, experts like Frank Sauer and Wolfgang Ischinger look for ways out of the Ukraine war – and Gregor Gysi worried about Putin’s sense of security.

While the fighting continues with heavy losses in Ukraine and on Russian soil around Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj recently announced a “victory plan”. Next week he will travel to the United States to introduce himself to the President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in turn, recently spoke in favor of stronger diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war of aggression and described it as a prerequisite for a peace solution that “Putin realizes that he cannot eat the whole of Ukraine.”

“Ukraine wants victory and peace – what does the West want?” asked Maybrit Illner against this background in his talk show yesterday.

• Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chair of the EU Defense Committee
• Mykhailo Podoljak, Zelensky’s advisor
• Gregor Gysi (Left), member of the Bundestag
• Wolfgang Ischinger, long-time head of the Munich Security Conference
• Frank Sauer, security policy expert
• Sabine Adler, journalist and expert in Russia

First, the moderator asked the former top diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger for an assessment of what could be hidden behind Zelensky’s horrible “victory plan”. The long-time diplomat suspected that Ukraine wanted to ensure “it still has the initiative.” This was also the reason for advancing to the Russian border area near Kursk.

In addition, Zelensky’s trip to the USA is certainly connected with the hope of lifting the range restrictions for the West’s long-range weapons. According to Ischinger, Ukraine has a point here: after all, Vladimir Putin does not need permission to choose his goals. He spoke in favor of granting the request and tying the release to comply with international law, ie stating that only military targets and not civilian targets could be fired upon.

Maybrit Illner wanted to know from Sabine Adler if Selenskyj would be successful with his application in Washington. The journalist Deutschlandfunk at least saw the possibility that Joe Biden wanted to say goodbye “with a bang” and therefore amended his refusal. “What is the West really afraid of, why is it hesitating?” added the Russian expert. Moreover, Ukraine has not yet given any cause for lack of trust.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and Frank Sauer also positioned themselves for the release. The FDP politician thought that this gives Ukraine “the opportunity to say to Putin: If you do not stop, you will bear the consequences in your country,” said Strack-Zimmermann. Security expert Sauer suggested that the decision should be used as a way of putting pressure on the Kremlin dictator: “These restrictions we are discussing here, dear Mr Putin, we will drop them if you do not stop to attack the civilian population of Ukraine with your missiles day after day. and be afraid every day.”

Only Gregor Gysi was skeptical. He warned that “instead of escalating, think about de-escalating” and that he would prefer to “put pressure” on the aggressor in another way: by offering to stop supplying arms to Ukraine if Putin agreed to a ceasefire .

However, a quick call to Kiev showed that such an approach would not be in Ukraine’s interest. “You cannot ask Russia to negotiate, you can only force it,” Zelensky’s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, made it clear. He was convinced that it would “put pressure on the authoritarian system” if Ukraine could “hit targets deep in Russia” with Western cruise missiles. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann reiterated that Ukraine can only negotiate with Putin “from a position of strength.”

When Maybrit Illner wanted to know from Sabine Adler why Olaf Scholz had given suggestions about possible peace talks now, the Deutschlandradio journalist already had a dry answer: “Because it sounds so nice in state elections.”

But Gregor Gysi came up with ideas on how a negotiated solution could be made more attractive to Putin: In a peace conference, he could “form his interests and say: ‘A little while ago, I don’t want to be put under that. a lot of pressure from you.’ “It is important to “ensure his security” and he should not “feel pressured by NATO.”