German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has again rejected demands from his center-left colleagues to change the government's policy towards Russia, citing the ongoing Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
“How anyone can even imagine closer cooperation with Russia at this stage is completely puzzling”, Pistorius, a leading figure in Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), told public broadcaster ZDF.
His comments come after prominent SPD figures published a position paper calling for a change in Germany's approach to Russia.
The manifesto, signed by former parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich, former party chief Norbert Walter-Borjans, foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner and several federal and state deputies, calls for direct diplomatic talks with Moscow and criticizes the government's rearmament plans.
The SPD is currently the junior partner in the coalition government, DPA reported.
Speaking from Kiev on Wednesday, Pistorius responded by referring to former SPD chancellor Willy Brandt. He said Brandt supported strong defense spending because he knew that "negotiations with the Soviet side could only be conducted from a position of strength".
Germany is the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, DPA added.