The German press sees a return to the Cold War after the developments in Eastern Ukraine

The German press sees a return to the Cold War after the developments in Eastern Ukraine. An article in SZ about the removal of the ND MEP, G. Kyrtsou.

The West’s sanctions against Russia are not enough, she claims Frankfurter Rundschau“In this way, the United States and its allies will not force the authoritarian Vladimir Putin to step down. He will insist on re-establishing Soviet influence, ignoring the security interests of other countries, not just Ukraine.” “Those in charge in Washington, Brussels, Berlin and other European capitals will have to answer nasty questions and utter painful truths. For example: How can they punish Russia without harming themselves?” “Europe must defend itself,” he said in a video Spiegel Online“What is at stake is peace in Europe, it is Europe as we have known it since 1990. Obviously Vladimir Putin is willing to risk it all in order to satisfy his passion for power.” “The hour of solidarity with Ukraine” is the headline in a front page comment of the newspaper Taxation (TAZ)which warns that “the so-called civil war in Ukraine is a primitively camouflaged offensive campaign by Russia against the neighboring country, which is willingly supported by separatists, puppets of the Kremlin.”

“Historical section for Europe” is the title of a commentary on the economic review Handelsblatt“The United States and the European Union immediately reacted to Moscow’s violation of international law by imposing harsh sanctions. The West has no choice but to confront Putin’s imperialist power with determination and effectiveness. Contrary to what he claims, the issue for the Kremlin leader is not just to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO in the distant future, but because Putin wants to end the overall process of economic and social reform in Eastern Europe. to see at its door democratic countries that prosper. ” Finally, referring to the last televised speech of the Russian president, the columnist notes: “Many are reminiscent of the Cold War these days. Karl Marx said that history repeats itself, first as a tragedy and then as a farce. With his angry speech Putin has reverse this order “.

Its financial consequences crisis in Ukraine

The crisis in Ukraine also has economic consequences for everyone involved. “Ukrainian currency is crushed” is the title of the analysis on its financial pages Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)“In early November, before Russia launched its threats, one dollar was worth 26.05 Ukrainian hryvnia. Since then (the hryvnia) has lost 11% of its value, although the Central Bank of Ukraine supports Last week alone, it had set aside half a billion of its $ 27.7 billion in foreign exchange reserves, with the Kiev government estimating the military “The amount takes into account the canceled investments, the increase in inflation, the losses in tourism and the reduction of air services,” said Rostislav Surma, deputy director of the presidency.

Its echo delete Kyrtsou on Brussels

To the deleted MEP of N.D. The newspaper reports Giorgos Kyrtsos Süddeutsche Zeitung. Among other things, he notes that “until today, George Kyrtsos did not have the reputation of being a scumbag. Even in January, the politician of the ruling conservative party of the ND supported Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, when in Athens the leftist MEP Kyrtsos spoke of “regular maneuvering” by opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, “at a time when he and his party are losing ground to the voters’ preferences.” among other things, because of the ‘excessive control’ that the government is trying to exert on the media “.

Then the columnist refers to the head of K.O. of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, who warns that he will launch an “internal process” against George Kyrtsos. Among other things, we read: “Dissatisfaction prevails in a part of the parliamentary group, as, according to the rules of procedure, (Weber) is not allowed to start the process on his own. Some associate it with the Bavarian as They say he prefers to have good relations with Mitsotakis instead of ‘protecting his MEP’ because Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic is also considering running for EPP’s presidency with Mitsos. to support him “.

Giannis Papadimitriou

SOURCE: Deutsche Welle