Russia Ukraine war, page-10430

Zelensky appeals to Germany’s militaristic traditions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the German Bundestag (parliament) via video link on Thursday. His speech was an appeal to the worst traditions of German history.


Members of the German parliament Bundestag give Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a standing ovation after he speaks in a virtual address to the parliament at the Reichstag Building in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, March 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

80 years after the German war of extermination against the Soviet Union, which claimed the lives of 27 million of its inhabitants, he accused Germany of not acting aggressively enough against Russia, where memories of the terror of Hitler’s Wehrmacht (army) are still extremely vivid.

Zelensky demanded the imposition of a full trade embargo on Russia and more direct NATO involvement in the war effort—even if that means risking a third world war.

For Germany’s ruling elites, the Ukraine war serves as a welcome occasion to realise the rearmament and great power plans they have been long preparing.

In February 2014, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, then Foreign Minister and now German President, was directly involved in the right-wing coup that sowed the seeds for the current war.
He met in Kiev with Oleh Tyahnybok, leader of the far-right Svoboda party, among others.
In the same month, the German government announced the “end of military restraint” and its intention to once again play a role in world politics commensurate with Germany’s economic weight.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/03/19/mcbb-m19.html