“Those who don’t help are complicit”: Habeck finds drastic words about the Ukraine war in Cologne
Economics Minister Robert Habeck drew a clear line between warmongers and Ukraine supporters at an election campaign event in Cologne.
Cologne – Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (52, Greens) has the actual support of the critics Ukraine warned against distorting the reality of Russia’s war of aggression.
“Anyone who defames those who are helping Ukraine as warmongers is siding with the murderers,” said the Greens politician on Friday in Cologne at the end of the Greens’ election campaign two days before the North Rhine-Westphalian state elections.
“I have great respect for unconditional moral pacifism,” said Habeck. But he comes to a different conclusion.
If you don’t help people who are fighting for their lives, who are suffering from rape and displacement, “you are at least as guilty, probably more guilty”.
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Habeck’s speech was interrupted by protesters with whistles and horns. Among other things, they shouted “warmongers”. “That is a reversal of all morals,” cried Habeck. “It makes you mean to the perpetrators and despises the victims.” The real warmongers in Europe are in the Kremlin.
At the same time, Habeck conceded that nobody would get out of the war “morally clean”. He, too, was “not proud” of the arms deliveries to Ukraine or the attempt to replace fossil fuels from Russia with the establishment of new fossil fuel energy relationships.
Habeck was alluding to getting away from Russian oil and gas and compensating with other supply relationships. But this is necessary “if we don’t want to continue financing Putin’s war,” he said.
In NRW a new state parliament will be elected on Sunday. Numerous surveys see a head-to-head race between the CDU and SPD. The Greens, who are at 16 to 17 percent and could achieve their best state election result, could become the third force.