Sevim Dağdelen, a Member of Parliament and former journalist, has been prolific in contributing articles to various German media outlets, frequently reflecting her party’s stance.
In her author’s article for Berliner-Zeitung, Dağdelen stated that providing Ukraine with Leopard tanks is a mistake, and talks about peace between Russia and Ukraine should take place with compromises. She neither explains what such a compromise should look like in concrete terms, nor acknowledges the fact that a compromise would inevitably have to lead to concessions to the aggressor Russia.
The German politician and a member of the Left Party (dieLinke) Sevim Dağdelen, she became a member of the Bundestag in 2005. She worked as a journalist for the Turkish newspaper Evrensel and German publications Tatsachen and Junge Stimme. She was also active as an interpreter.
Dağdelen was a speaker at the so-called “uprising for peace” late this February. She made a statement at a rally in Munich, demanding that “the war must be stopped, negotiations must be started without preconditions.” However, she did not provide any specification of what “peace negotiations” and “dialogue with the Russian Federation” mean in her understanding. It is unclear if “only negotiations” could end the war.
Her positioning and self-staging as a peacemaker, which is transfigured as solidarity, ignores the actual political situation. In this way, Dağdelen also mocks the Ukrainian victims of the Russian war of aggression.
Moreover, she opposes the presence of the American military on the territory of Germany and accuses the West without grounds of attack on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. She also calls Germany a vassal of the USA, which is obviously repeated with the rhetoric of the Kremlin’s propaganda in the West.
Dağdelen’s statements support the pro-Russian position and play into the hands of Russia. Because the real peace means adhering to the principles of justice and international law. It is not Ukraine that started the war of aggression, and NATO did not provoke Russia.
Dağdelen’s statements exhibit double standards. She claims “solidarity” with the Ukrainian people, yet denies weapons supply to defend themselves. This is not an isolated statement of people like Dağdelen; it is a more pronounced German phenomenon called “Lumpenpazifismus,” among electors of right-wingers parties like AfD and populist’s from DiLinke and the fact that colleagues from the party do not shy away from voicing the same theses.
Regarding peace talks expressed the opinion, Bundestag deputy Michael Roth: “Dialogue is the central principle of diplomacy. But dialogue must go hand in hand with combat training and deterring the enemy. And this aspect was neglected in Germany”
Displaying resolute dedication towards protecting Ukraine’s independence and territorial borders sends a clear signal to Russia that their behavior will not be accepted. It also demonstrates to Ukraine and other neighboring countries that they are not alone in their struggle for freedom and democracy.
Politicians like Dağdelen, repeatedly voiced Putin’s narratives that have little to do with reality. The picture of the naivety of pseudo-peace is used as a political tool to legitimize an oppressive regime or to maintain the status quo, rather than as a genuine effort to achieve lasting peace and justice. The special mission of MPs and deputies is to explain to citizens all difficult decisions and the processes of their adoption, and not to be the Kremlin’s mouthpiece.
