Positions of the Bundestag parties in the debate on the annexation of Crimea and the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation in 2014

Rastvortseva A.N.

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 90 s, since the unification of the FRG and the GDR and the collapse of the Soviet Union, bilateral relations between Russia and Germany have been built mainly positively. For two decades, cooperation in various fields has expanded and strengthened, partnerships have developed. However, the events of 2014 changed the rhetoric of the Russian-German dialogue. In this article, the author examines the internal political discussion of the FRG around the Crimean crisis, namely the position of the Bundestag parties about the annexation of Crimea to the territory of the Russian Federation both on the eve of and immediately after this event, as well as discussions on retaliatory measures from Europe - the introduction of sanctions in the 2014 year. The article presents an analysis of the speeches of the representatives of the main parties at the meetings of the Bundestag, compares the oral speeches with the parties' programs in 2013 and 2014, and with the programs adopted today. The author concludes that all parties of the Bundestag agreed that the European Union should have assisted Ukraine to prevent an economic catastrophe. Most parties in Germany supported Angela Merkel's government policy and advocated putting pressure on Russia through the introduction of sanctions. And only representatives of the Left Party criticized the actions of Germany and Europe as a whole, calling on their colleagues to pay attention to double standards.

Keywords

Russia; Germany; Ukraine; Crimea crisis; Bundestag; party discussions; sanctions.

DOI: 10.31249/rsm/2022.01.08

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