Health department head Karl Lauterbach was the first federal minister to say that Germany was “at war” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The SPD politician used the phrase on Twitter on Saturday evening in response to a suggestion that individual NATO countries should guarantee Russia that Ukraine would not be admitted to NATO, thus paving the way for negotiations to end Russia's war of aggression against the country to prepare.
"Let's be honest: what should kneeling before Putin do now?" Lauterbach then asked on Twitter.
“We are at war with Putin and not his psychotherapists.
The victory in the form of the liberation of Ukraine must be pursued consistently.
It doesn't matter whether Putin's psyche can handle it."
According to the Bundestag Research Service, the concept of war in the classic sense of international law is characterized by: an armed struggle between states or groups of states and a declaration of war or an ultimatum.
It is noted that some international law scholars dispense with the latter feature and define war as a violent act involving the severing of diplomatic relations.
Before Lauterbach, Finance Minister Christian Lindner had already spoken of an “energy war” when he also tweeted for the continued use of nuclear energy.
Lauterbach received both approval and opposition on Twitter.
The suggestion of a veto against joining NATO as a concession to Russia was made by the book author and frequent talk show guest Richard David Precht in the podcast "Geyer + Niesmann" of the editorial network Germany.