German liberals support sanctions against Russia
A vast majority of German delegates supported continuing sanctions against the Russian Federation during a vote on Sunday, May 13, at the Free Democratic Party (FDP) congress in Berlin, DW reports. Vice Chairman of the FDP, Wolfgang Kubicki, initiated the discussion after calling for a “critical review” of sanctions imposed by the West. This resulted in fierce debates within the party, and as a result, the majority of party members did not support Kubicki’s proposal.
During the debate, Alexander Lambsdorff, Vice-President of the European Parliament, suggested maintaining sanctions and intensifying dialogue with Moscow. According to Lambsdorff, in 2014, the European Union reacted to Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian Crimea by stating: “In such circumstances, neither whining nor saber-rattling is the right decision.”
The assembly of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which took place this weekend in Berlin, is the first to occur since the Bundestag elections. Apart from the issue of sanctions against Russia, delegates also discussed: the current leadership of Angela Merkel, Germany’s worsening relation with the U.S., and a Ministry of Finance budget plan.