Germany, Wagenknecht: Extremely Dangerous for the World to Challenge a Nuclear Power

Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of Germany’s Sarah Wagenknecht Union (BSW) party, issued a stark warning to NATO to stop challenging Russia, which revised its nuclear doctrine a few days ago.

“If the West crosses more and more red lines, the danger of a full-scale war in Europe will inevitably increase,” Wagenknecht told the German newspaper Handelsblatt. According to the BSW leader, “Russia is the largest nuclear power in the world, and testing what it is capable of is incredibly dangerous.” Wagenknecht urged Russia to reconsider its “no” on participating in possible future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine: “For a peace conference to make sense, Russia must be invited,” Wagenknecht emphasized, according to whom the meeting planned by the United States and the German government in Ramstein, Germany, is not the right context for it. “A neutral state like Turkey would probably be better than Germany,” Wagenknecht said, recalling Ankara’s mediation role, which could nip an armed conflict in the bud in 2022.

A strong invitation to the West also came from Russia “not to underestimate the possibility of clashes between nuclear powers.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a press conference that “the Cuban Missile Crisis was a turning point in which humanity was on the verge of starting a nuclear war. He was literally hours away from a decision that could radically change the entire course of civilization’s history. Now the danger of a direct armed clash between nuclear powers cannot be underestimated.”

According to the Russian diplomat, what has been happening in recent years is unparalleled in the past: “We are moving into uncharted political and military territory, and our adversaries simply cannot have the right to make a mistake. Because the price of this mistake could be a catastrophe,” Ryabkov said, emphasizing that “Russia is pursuing its line cautiously and resolutely.”

As for the possibility of negotiations with Ukraine, Moscow does not yet see the possibility of direct contact with Kiev, but welcomes mediation proposals. “We do not see the possibility of any direct contact with Kiev, but we have repeatedly emphasized that Russia has been and remains open to a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict. We welcome constructive proposals from all countries, provided that they take into account the interests of all parties,” the deputy foreign minister reiterated, according to whom “Russia will use the BRICS group to tell the world the truth about the origins of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”