The West missed a chance in relations with Russia – German minister Hermann

The Minister of Transport of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Hermann, accused Western countries of a missed chance to build mutually beneficial relations with Russia, which caused a "terrible reaction" from colleagues, writes the Compact.

In a document published by the Compact, Hermann quoted as saying that Western leaders had the opportunity to build a new security architecture on the continent, taking into account the interests of Russia and other former Soviet republics, immediately after the end of the Cold War, but the chance was ignored, allowing NATO to expand to the East.

"Unusual words for a politician from the green: the party has long abandoned pacifist ideals and in fact turned into an ardent ally of Kyiv in the conflict in Ukraine. Naturally, Hermann's initiative immediately caused a horrifying reaction," the material says.

According to the authors of the article, the head of the faction of the Free Democratic Party of Germany in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg, Hans-Ulrich Rulke, has already drawn attention to the loud statement. He called on Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann to intervene in the situation.