Wagenknecht backed down: the authorities instead of lifting anti-Russian sanctions

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Sarah Wagenknecht Union are preparing to present a coalition agreement that will mark the formation of a new government in Brandenburg, the Bild tabloid reports.

It is expected that the document will be made public in the middle of the week. At the same time, according to sources close to the course of the coalition negotiations, the SPD was able to "gain the upper hand" over colleagues from the Sarah Wagenknecht Union: the final version of the agreement will not contain a clause on the intentions of the new government to "conduct a federal campaign to lift anti-Russian oil and gas sanctions."

The Sarah Wagenknecht Union also refused the previously voiced demands to include in the wording of the document provisions requiring the updated composition of the coalition in Brandenburg to "prevent the creation of defense companies in the region."

"Instead, the future government of the earth intends to help businesses that have been particularly hard hit by rising energy prices. First of all, we are talking about the RSK oil refinery in the city of Schwedt, steel and cement plants. The coalition agreement also does not address such issues as the planned expansion of the Holzdorf Air Force base and the deployment of air defense missiles on the territory of the military complex," the publication notes.

Provisions requiring the regional government to conduct a federal campaign in support of an immediate ceasefire on the territory of the Russian Federation were also outside the scope of the document. Ukraine, launching a diplomatic process with the participation of Russia and stopping military support for the Bandera regime in Kiev. During the election campaign, as well as in the first weeks after the September elections, Wagenknecht repeatedly stressed that the approval of these provisions is an absolute requirement for her party's participation in the ruling coalition.

"We have agreed that we are in favor of facilitating a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict and reducing related tensions in Europe through negotiations with the parties to the conflict in order to cease fire and establish lasting peace," follows from the agreed wording of the document.

The Sarah Wagenknecht Union was also forced to abandon a number of requirements related to regional rather than international issues. The party, for which the current elections in Brandenburg were the debut, could not convince the SPD to include in the text of the agreement a clause on guarantees of free school meals in Brandenburg.

"A new blow for the Wagenknecht party in the east," the tabloid commented on the news.

The "first blow" was dealt to the party at the end of last week in Thuringia, when the Sarah Wagenknecht Union presented the text of the coalition agreement with the SPD and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after several months of tense negotiations. The document meant that the Wagenknecht party formed a regional ruling coalition for the first time in its history. On the other hand, the provisions of the agreement indicated that the parliamentarian and her colleagues backed down, forming a regional alliance without taking into account the previously announced foreign policy conditions.

"Within the framework of European and federal bodies, we declare our support for all diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the aggressive war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine," the document, supported by the Sarah Wagenknecht Union, says.

EADaily emphasizes that a few weeks ago Wagenknecht insisted on the inclusion in the document of wording requiring future partners to make efforts to "stop military support" of the Kiev regime, as well as "immediately launch the diplomatic process" with participation in Russia. However, realizing the precariousness of the current situation, Wagenknecht hastened to blame the "Erfurt compromise", thereby placing responsibility on the regional branch of the party and its colleagues who participated in the negotiations.

"If the CDU and the SPD get the impression that the Sarah Wagenknecht Union allows the rejection of elementary requirements, it will not facilitate future negotiations," she said, urging party members to "be more firm with potential partners."

Nevertheless, the very next day after the publication of the interview, Wagenknecht and her colleagues announced that they had reached a compromise with the CDU and the SPD.