Sahra Wagenknecht, federal co-leader of the BSW party, has voiced support for the position of Michael Kretschmer, the Minister-President of Saxony (CDU), opposing the deployment of German peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. In an interview, Wagenknecht criticized comments made by Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU, who reportedly suggested the potential deployment of Bundeswehr soldiers in Washington as part of possible western security guarantees. She described Merz’s statements as a “serious mistake” and affirmed Kretschmer’s opposition to a German military deployment as justified.
Wagenknecht argued that, due to historical considerations, German troops should not be involved. She warned that any military presence would immediately position Germany as a party to the conflict, a situation she believes must be prevented.
She also took issue with what she described as the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) openness to considering a Bundeswehr deployment and called for a national referendum on the issue. Wagenknecht suggested that if a governing coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD were to pursue such a deployment, they must first allow the public to express their opposition through a direct vote.
