Germans Opposing Arms Supplies to Kiev Need to Start Peace Movement, Lawmaker Says

BERLIN (Sputnik) - Germans that advocate peace talks and oppose arms supplies to Kiev must organize into a movement for peace, otherwise the situation will deteriorate further and Germany will get dragged deeper into the Ukraine-Russia conflict, lawmaker Sahra Wagenknecht told die Welt newspaper on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Wagenknecht, a member of the German Parliament for The Left Party, and prominent German feminist journalist Alice Schwarzer launched a petition on the change.org portal titled "Manifest for Peace."

In their petition, the pair called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to stop sending arms to Ukraine and initiate peace talks. As of yet, over 75,000 people have signed the petition.

"We urgently need peace movement in Germany, otherwise we will be drawn deeper and deeper into this war, which must be ended. It is necessary to negotiate for this, and not to supply more and more weapons," she told the newspaper.

"If there is no 'Stop' sign and if the half of Germans that, according to surveys, does not want [arms] supplies does not manifest itself more explicitly, then fighters will also be delivered [to Kiev] in the near future."

A couple of weeks ago, it was considered impossible for Germany to be among the first countries to supply tanks, Wagenknecht said. Now, fighter jets and long-range missiles are being discussed, which, according to the lawmaker, will not end the war, but will only lead to the escalation of the conflict.

The lawmaker also said that only the Vatican has so far expressed its desire for peace, while Germany, France, the US and the EU have only been making unrealistic demands. A realistic proposal, according to Wagenknecht, will be a neutral status for Ukraine and the creation of a de-militarized zone in contested regions, followed by referendums on their territorial affiliation.

"If such a proposal had been made, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would have refused to even discuss it, then it would be possible to talk about a different path. But how can you say that Russians do not want negotiations, if such an offer is not even on the table?" she said.

The lawmaker also announced that a demonstration in support of the petition would take place in central Berlin on February 25.