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SPD leader Klingbeil: Accuses critics of “deliberately misinterpreting” Mützenich

Photo: Florian Gaertner / photothek / IMAGO

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has intervened in the dispute over statements made by Rolf Mützenich.

On the sidelines of a board meeting in Berlin, Klingbeil said he was "severely irritated" by the "attacks on our parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich."

In a Bundestag debate about arms deliveries to Ukraine, Mützenich criticized the fact that some questions were already being described as an “eyesore”.

He asked: "Isn't it time that we not only talk about how to wage a war, but also think about how we can freeze a war and end it later?" Politicians from the coalition partners FDP and the Greens criticized this sharply .

Klingbeil accused the critics of “deliberately misinterpreting” the speech.

Mützenich ensures that the SPD parliamentary group shares the course of support for Ukraine at all times.

The group leader stated that this path would be continued.

"Anyone who interprets the speech in such a way that Rolf Mützenich is moving away from Ukraine either didn't understand the speech or didn't want to understand it," said Klingbeil.

For him, the Bundestag speech was unmistakable; of course there would be no cession of territory from Ukraine.

Mützenich made it clear that they wanted Ukraine to get its territories back and Russia to disappear from Ukraine.

“Russia must not win this war,” said Klingbeil.

»That is the position of the SPD.

There is no contradiction at all between the federal government, the party and the parliamentary group.

An “offer” to the coalition partners

At the Berlin meeting, the SPD party executive decided on a ten-point plan to strengthen the economy.

Klingbeil described the paper as an “offer” to the Greens and FDP.

We will see what can still be implemented in this legislative period.

Taxes for the middle class should be reduced and the debt brake should be reformed to encourage more investment.

The party executive also wants to reduce bureaucracy.

The cabinet has already passed a law to reduce bureaucracy, but that is not enough for Klingbeil.

"We'll put a lot of effort into the parliamentary process," he said.

The party also envisions an alliance of unions, companies, civil society and politics that will make suggestions.

A key point of the decision is lower energy prices.

The party wants the state to be involved in the expansion of the electricity grid.

So far, consumers have paid for this through the network fees in the electricity price.

If the state takes over part, electricity prices fall.

cte/jpz/Reuters