In Saxony, a deputy federal leader of the CDU recently called for an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine, placing himself closer to Putin’s Russia than some members of the BSW. And what does the rest of the CDU do? It stays silent. No objection. No clarification. No commitment to solidarity with Ukraine.

This silence is no accident. This is no longer about foreign policy convictions. It is about tactics. About polls. About populism. The stance on Ukraine becomes a bargaining chip, decided by electoral arithmetic instead of values.

We stand by our responsibility

For us Greens, that is not an option. We know what is at stake. A sovereign state was brutally invaded. People are defending their country, their freedom and their democracy, and they are doing it in our interest too. You can’t switch this solidarity on or off depending on the political weather.

Even if it gets uncomfortable in the upcoming state elections, even if a clear stance is not always rewarded: we are sticking with it. We stand by Ukraine. And we stand by politics built on principles, not on short-term vote-chasing.

Politics needs backbone, not opportunism

Power must never be an end in itself. Anyone who takes on political responsibility has to be ready to defend unpopular positions when they are right. That is exactly what we are doing. Because democracy, freedom and human rights are not negotiable. Not even during an election campaign.

We will not abandon Ukraine. And we will not abandon our own values either.