06/11/2025June 11, 2025Some SPD politicians call for diplomatic talks with Russia
Several prominent Social Democratic Party (SPD) politicians are speaking out against the security and defense policy of the current government, which is made up of the center-left SPD and conservative CDU/CSU bloc, as well as their own party leadership.
In a “manifesto” made available to the dpa news agency and reported on by several media outlets, the politicians call for direct diplomatic talks with Russia, among other things.
More than 100 people signed the policy paper, including former parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich, former party leader Norbert Walter-Borjans, foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner, and several members of the Bundestag and state parliaments.
In their “manifesto,” the SPD politicians criticize the “compulsion to increase armaments and prepare for an allegedly imminent war.”
They warn: “Military alarm rhetoric and huge armament programs do not create more security for Germany and Europe. Rather, they lead to destabilization and a strengthening of the mutual threat perception between NATO and Russia.”
The signatories call for “a return to talks with Russia after the silence of the weapons,” including discussions about a peace and security order for Europe that is supported and respected by all.
They also oppose the deployment of new American medium-range missiles in Germany and an increase in the defense budget to 3.5% or 5% of gross domestic product.
Meanwhile, Adis Ahmetovic, the foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, distanced himself from the “manifesto.” In an interview with the AFP news agency, Ahmetovic described the manifesto as “questionable in terms of content” and emphasized that it was “not a decision of the parliamentary group or party.”
The document was released ahead of the party conference at the end of the month. At the conference, the SPD will elect a new leader and start developing a new party program.
Germany is already the second-largest provider of armaments and financial support to Ukraine as it fends off a full-scale Russian invasion. Under the new government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Germany has pledged to increase its support.