German historians wrote a letter to Scholz about mistakes in relations with Putin

They called for an investigation.

German historians wrote a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz about mistakes in relations with Putin. BILD got the collective appeal.

It was signed by scientists who, like Olaf Scholz himself, are members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Heinrich August Winkler, Martina Winkler, Dirk Schumann, Gabriele Lingelbach and Jan K. Behrends are among them. Their main theses are:

"We are watching with growing concern the positioning of the SPD regarding Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine," historians write. “Arguments and justifications are increasingly arbitrary, erratic and often factually incorrect.”

"Coordination with allies is insufficient in Germany, Putin will regard this only as a call to action."

Scientists consider it "useless" to explain "what Germany definitely will not do regarding supporting Ukraine."

"When the Chancellor and party leaders draw red lines not for Russia, but only for German politics, they significantly weaken German security policy and play into Russia's hands."

Historians believe that the SPD is prone to "extremely dangerous denial of reality." Putin will end the war only “if he is confronted with sufficient force.”

The SPD has not yet understood this, the authors believe.

"Inside the SPD, there is no honest analysis of the mistakes of Russian policy in recent decades," they write, pointing to the lack of investigation of "the links of various comrades with Russian interests and erroneous energy policy," which led Germany "to fatal dependence on Moscow."