Excerpts from a recent interview:
The top candidate for the political party DIE LINKE, Sahra Wagenknecht set new impulses for Russia’s policy shortly before the Bundestag elections. In the interview with Ostexperte.de, the politician pleads for an end of the sanctions against Russia, the dissolution of NATO and a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
QUESTION: They call the Russia sanctions „counterproductive“. How can the conflict in the Eastern Ukraine be solved instead?
Sahra Wagenknecht:
The conflict in the Eastern Ukraine can only be solved diplomatically. The agreement of Minsk is undermined by both sides. The conflict parties urgently need to re-enter the negotiating table. It is necessary to create new trust, which is the basic prerequisite for the implementation of Minsk.
QUESTION: Christian Lindner was violently attacked for the statement, which Krim as a „permanent provisional“ to want to recognize. They have strengthened the back of the FDP boss. What specific measures do you propose to improve the relationship with Russia?
Sahra Wagenknecht:
We want a new relaxation policy against Russia. As the first confidence-building step, we want to end the sanctions and withdraw the Bundeswehr from the Russian border. Security in Europe can not be against, but only with Russia. We therefore seek the dissolution of NATO and its replacement by a collective security system, including Russia.
QUESTION:
The new US sanctions are seen as a threat to the planned Nord Stream Nord Stream 2. How important is the project for Europe’s energy security? Can Wintershall & Co. count on the support of the left?
Sahra Wagenknecht: We consider sanctions against Russia particularly devastating for the economy of Europe. Energy security in Europe must also be based on Russian gas. The alternative would be the ecologically unacceptable fracking gas of the US corporations. If we want to push ahead with renewable energies, we need alternatives to nuclear and coal for a longer transitional period, for climate protection reasons alone.
The interview was conducted by Thorsten Gutmann, editor-in-chief of Ostexperte.de.