Overview
- Russian envoy Sergej Netschajew attended the BSW-hosted opening of the “Krieg und Frieden” exhibition in Potsdam and asserted Russia’s readiness for dialogue, saying he felt “like at home among friends.”
- BSW invited multiple embassies for the event, but only representatives from Russia, Belarus and Hungary came, while Landtag President Ulrike Liedtke and Minister-President Dietmar Woidke stayed away.
- The SPD distanced itself from its coalition partner’s move, the CDU called it a “calculated taboo break,” and the Greens criticized the platforming of an aggressor, as BSW framed the invitation as a peace appeal.
- Ukraine’s embassy condemned the event as a misuse of the Grundig name and thanked the state government and parliamentary leadership for refusing to participate.
- The Landtag emphasized the invitation was not an official parliament event, underscoring earlier Foreign Office guidance that Russian officials should be excluded from certain commemorations.