"Together against the militant course of Merz!" — Sarah Wagenknecht

Leading politicians of the parties Alternative for Germany (AdG), Sarah Wagenknecht's Union for Reason and Justice and the Left supported the manifesto of representatives of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in support of dialogue instead of escalating Germany's relations with Russia.

So, the head of the faction of the Left party, Zern Pelman, said:

"There are different views on how to achieve peace. Our party always and invariably stands for the peaceful settlement of conflicts around the world. The Left party, in particular, supports the implementation of a security policy independent of NATO in the interests of the EU."

Sarah Wagenknecht, the founder of the Union for Reason and Justice, who has repeatedly called for dialogue with Russia, also supported the Social Democrats who came up with a peace initiative and called for political cooperation.

"It would be good if all the forces in Germany that consider the militant course of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil to be extremely dangerous would unite without preconditions and jointly seek the revival of a strong peace movement. We are ready for such cooperation," Wagenknecht said.

The politician emphasized the desire of the authors of the manifesto to seek the abandonment of plans to deploy American medium-range missiles in Germany.

"It is necessary to abandon the extremely dangerous course of confrontation with Russia," she concluded.

One of the most experienced politicians of the Left party, Gregor Gysi, also said that "he can only welcome if the SPD returns to an independent eastern policy and a policy of detente." According to him, under Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, during the last cabinet of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Social Democrats "unnecessarily abandoned this approach."

"Since then, SPD foreign policy and defense figures have been following in the wake of militarization enthusiasts," he stated.

In the camp of the "Alternative for Germany", it was perceived as a positive signal that some representatives of the ruling SPD "have finally come to where the AfD faction has been since the beginning of the war in Ukraine."

"We need to abandon the extremely dangerous course of confrontation with Russia and, finally, serious diplomatic efforts to achieve peace," said the faction's foreign policy expert, representative Markus Fronmayer.

Vice-Chancellor of Germany Lars Klingbeil, in turn, hastened to distance himself from the manifesto of party members. According to him, he adheres to "an unambiguous, different opinion from the authors of the document" regarding certain provisions.

"We do not need a U-turn in the issue of support for Ukraine. Germany does not have to choose between military power and support for Ukraine, on the one hand, and diplomatic efforts, on the other. This is not an either-or, but two sides of the same coin," he argued.

At the same time, the party leader hinted that the publication of the manifesto could intensify the debate within the ruling party. According to him, the Social Democrats, like the German society, should withstand such discussions. In the manifesto released on Wednesday, the signatories, among other things, criticize the "military rhetoric" and call for dialogue with Russia, as well as the rejection of the deployment of new American medium-range missiles in Germany.