Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the German party Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason & Justice, said the West should have paid more attention to Russia's lines regarding Ukraine. If it had, the Russia-Ukraine conflict could have been avoided.
"This conflict could certainly have been avoided if more attention had been paid to not crossing the Russians' red lines. Red lines have always existed. The Russians are against the presence of Western military personnel, against American military facilities near their borders," she noted in an interview with ZDF TV.
Russia's red lines, the German politician added, may or may not be considered legal, but if the West respects them, bad outcomes can be prevented.
Ms. Wagenknecht is the candidate of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason & Justice party for the position of chancellor in the German federal parliamentary election Bundestag scheduled to be held in February 2025.
This is an informal position given to leaders within parties in Germany because the leader of the winning party usually becomes chancellor.
Ms. Wagenknecht has little chance of leading the German government because her party currently has 6% of the vote in the country. Her main campaign message is peace in Europe. Ms. Wagenknecht has frequently expressed her opposition to the German government sending weapons to Ukraine.
