Spiegel columnist Jakob Augstein once again tells his (mostly sympathetic) readers that Germany should not come come to the aid of the Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression. Let's face it: compared to the Bosnians, the people of the Ukraine just aren't worth any sacrifice on the part of the Germans:
Gegenüber Serbien wäre Appeasement damals ein Verbrechen gewesen. Gegenüber Russland ist es heute eine Notwendigkeit. Wer dieses Wort nutzt, muss sich erklären. "Politik der Beschwichtigung", das ist ein verächtliches Schimpfwort, seit England und Frankreich Hitlers Griff erst nach dem Sudetenland, später der "Rest-Tschechei", duldeten. Nur, Geschichte wiederholt sich nicht, und Putin ist nicht Hitler.
(Appeasement towards Serbia would have been a crime; in the case of Russia today it's a necessity. Whoever uses this word needs to explain it. "Policy of appeasement" is a contemptible insult ever since England and France tolerated Hitler's seizure of the Sudetenland and later the remainder of Czechia. However, history doesn't repeat itself and Putin is not Hitler.)
Later in the evening – right on cue- former chancellor Gerhard Schröder showed up in St. Petersburg to celebrate his 70th birtday with his old pal Vladimir Putin.
