Overview

• Ralf Stegner defended the SPD’s new peace manifesto on Maischberger, arguing that the party has always been a peace party and backing calls for direct talks with Russia.
• The manifesto criticizes “military alarm rhetoric” and proposes halting the deployment of new US mid-range missiles on German soil.
• Defense Minister Boris Pistorius dismissed the document as “denial of reality” while SPD leader Lars Klingbeil affirmed that support for Ukraine will not change.
• Military expert Carlo Masala warned that Russia aims to fracture Germany’s backing for Ukraine and would regard such a split as a strategic win.
• Stegner’s unsanctioned May trip to Baku to meet Russian diplomats drew criticism as private diplomacy, which he says was conducted independently.