Mr. Michael Kretschmer - leader of the CDU party in Saxony state, Germany - has just proposed the idea of resuming relations with Russia.
He said the determination of German and European leaders to maintain sanctions against Russia was completely outdated and not in line with what the Americans are doing today.
"When you realize you are making yourself weaker than your opponent, you need to think about whether everything you are doing is right or not" - he shared with German news agency DPA.
Mr. Kretschmer added: "We need to continue discussing which sanctions could be more disadvantageous to us than to Russia. However, the discussion did not take place."
In recent weeks, German politicians have repeatedly called for a resumption of economic or energy ties with Russia.
CDU lawmaker Thomas Bareiß responded to information about the possibility of reviving the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, emphasizing: "When peace returns, the fires between Russia and Ukraine are quiet, relations will be normalized, sanctions will be lifted and gas may start flowing again, who knows, this time it will be through the US-controlled gas pipeline".
Jan Heinisch, a CDU politician from North Rhine-Westphalia, a member of the leadership group for the energy alliance negotiations, told Politico: "If one day a just and safe peace with Ukraine is established, we can also discuss buying Russian gas again."
Senior members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany SPD have also mentioned the idea, including Dietmar Woidke - leader of the state of Brandenburg. He called for the normalization of trade relations between Germany and Russia after reaching a peace agreement. "I really believe that economic relations can also contribute to improving relations between Europe and Russia in general," he said.
