What’s Threatening German-Ukrainian Relations?

Russian aggression and the rise of populism are two issues that Germany has to contend with at the moment. They are also issues that affect the western European country’s relationship with Ukraine and democracy on the whole.

According to former German MP and cofounder of Zentrum Liberale Moderne think tank Marieluise Beck, certain groups in Germany at the moment are looking to build a closer relationship with Moscow.

“The number of people who ask themselves whether it's not time to come back to good terms with Moscow, to start pushing the Crimea issue and the Donbas issue aside, is getting bigger,” Beck commented in relation to Germany’s evolving stance on Ukraine.

These sentiments stem from rising opposition from all sectors of German political life, including the far-right, far-left, and even from within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s own party – the Christian Democrats. The strengthening right-wing party in particular have demonstrated pro-Moscow and anti-American leanings, according to Beck.

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European attitudes in general towards Ukraine are part of the problem when it comes to the way western countries deal with the conflict in the Donbas. Beck says that the West often has difficulty distinguishing between aggressor and victim, as the West “hesitates to speak out the truth on Russia's role in Crimea and Moscow on Donbas.”

“We let Moscow and the Kremlin propaganda get by with the explanation that those separatists might have been helped by some Russian soldiers on ‘holiday’ but that is not very fair,” Beck told Hromadske.

Photo credit: HROMADSKE

Looking to the future, Beck believes that, in light of the rising populist sentiments, both in Germany and abroad, the discourse needs to move away from the usual left-wing/right-wing dichotomy, not just for Ukraine’s sake, but for the sake of democracy in general. This is the case in discussions regarding Crimea, for, as Beck notes, “right-wing and left-wing meet on Crimea, invited by Mr. Putin.”

“The question that we have to talk about and is at stake is: are we going towards authoritarian rules, little individual rights for people?” Beck says, adding that, “We do have the beginning of an international authoritarian internationalist movement, and we should better wake up.”