EXCERPT: Germany’s left-wing movement has pushed back against the country’s pro-Ukraine stance, sparking debate on foreign policy and national priorities.
Germany’s new left-wing populist party is pushing mainstream parties to pay a high price for forming governing coalitions in three eastern states, demanding that regional officials join calls to end military support for Ukraine.
Such demands could weaken Germany’s pro-Ukraine stance, making waves as Germany stands as Kyiv’s second-largest military backer in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
These tensions are also putting strain on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way coalition in Berlin, already facing internal challenges.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), launched in January, is currently the only party opposing arms supplies to Ukraine, aside from the far-right AfD—a party mainstream factions refuse to work with.
After its electoral successes in Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony in September, the BSW has become an essential coalition partner for mainstream parties in these regions.
Led by the polarizing Sahra Wagenknecht, who is known for her Russia-friendly and NATO-skeptic views, the BSW insists that any coalition partners commit to its anti-war stance as a condition for partnership.
This week, the Brandenburg branch of Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to a joint statement with the BSW, which included the line, “The war will not be ended by further weapons deliveries.”
The statement, which also criticised potential deployment of US long-range missiles in Germany, stirred controversy in Berlin and unease within the SPD. Agnieszka Brugger, a senior lawmaker for the Greens, a junior partner in Scholz’s government, condemned the SPD’s cooperation with the BSW, calling it a “cynical and populist course.”
“Anyone who talks about peace but means an end to support for Ukraine does not want real peace,” she told reporters.
“Such a policy would jeopardize the security of our country and our allies.”
SPD mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, echoed the criticism, calling the Brandenburg party’s stance “unacceptable.”
While Germany’s state governments lack direct influence over foreign policy, the BSW’s anti-war positioning aligns with some polls indicating declining public support for Ukraine as Russia makes advances on the battlefield and the outcome of the upcoming US election may alter American policy on Ukraine.
The BSW’s stance is also empowering the SPD’s traditionally Russophile left wing, according to Stefan Marschall, a political scientist at the University of Düsseldorf.
Last month, the SPD appointed left-leaning Matthias Miersch as its General Secretary, who has shown support for Gerhard Schroeder, a former chancellor with close ties to Russia, who has worked with Russian state oil company Gazprom and has publicly described President Vladimir Putin as a friend.Faridah Abdulkadiri
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