Another German party calls on to 'forget' about Crimea

Leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) Christian Lindner spoke in favor of adjusting Germany's policy towards Russia. "European prosperity and security also depend on relations with Moscow," he told the German media. "President Putin should be given a proposal that will allow him to change politics without losing his face. And perhaps we should also break taboos and regard the annexation of Crimea as 'a long-term temporary status'. For example, the accession of the Baltic States by the Soviet Union after the Second World War was not recognized in the West. Yet such statesmen as Brandt and Scheel were able to develop a new eastern policy," Lindner gave an example.

According to the FDP leader, European sanctions against Russia should not be lifted only if there was full implementation of the Minsk agreement. "Positive interim steps should be appreciated," the head of German liberals believes.

Recent opinion polls say that free Democrats can count on 8% of the vote. Federal elections will be held in Germany on September 24 to elect the members of the 19th Bundestag, and the observers have no doubt regarding the FDP's entry into the Parliament, which traditionally represents the interests of large industry and the better-off sectors of the population. Thus, along with the 'Lefts' and the Social Democrats, another German party advocated a softening of Berlin's policy toward Moscow in the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that Christian Lindner's statement was made against the background of the German public's strong resistance to the new anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the United States, which affect German energy interests and, in particular, put at risk the Nord Stream-2 project. In this regard, some German experts warned about the possibility of the collapse of the existing regime of European sanctions against Russia. For more details, see Josef Braml: "Trade war is possible between Germany and the US"