Leading German historians have condemned Chancellor Olaf Scholz over his party’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, deepening a dispute over left-wing calls for negotiations with Moscow.
The Social Democratic party’s Russia policy is “arbitrary, erratic and factually wrong”, an open letter to the chancellor signed by five 20th-century historians said. It accuses the party’s leaders of risking a “fatal” error of appeasement over Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine”.
The historians include Heinrich August Winkler, one of the country’s most respected academics and an SPD member for more than 60 years. The letter’s four other signatories are also party members.