The regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany, Friedrich Kramer, hopes for an end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – possibly with the help of US President-elect Donald Trump. “This is the most brutal death in an insane situation where, as a soldier, you don’t know where the attacks are coming from. Drones are flying, suddenly coming from above and I don’t think many people can even imagine that,” said Kramer, who also Peace Commissioner of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
“Interestingly, we see relatively few images of war in concrete terms, because that would make us all opponents of war. You can’t bear that.” And further: “That’s why the killing and dying must stop immediately,” says Kramer. “It may be absurd, but perhaps President Trump is an opportunity for a ceasefire to be reached. It will be an extremely complicated path to a post-war order.”
Trump has vowed to end the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine as quickly as possible. It is expected in the EU and European NATO countries that Trump could try to pressure Kiev and Moscow to negotiate.
Trump could massively change support for Ukraine
With a view to the options of the future US President Trump, Kramer said: “What he can do is definitely massively change or even completely restrict support for Ukraine. And then it is clear that Ukraine, since it is not in this war can win on its own, is forced to make concessions. That would be bitter for many Ukrainians.”
The regional bishop emphasized: “What is crucial, and that would be important, is that the international community intervenes strongly and creates conditions that enable a form of negotiations that then really leads to peace. Which would mean that somehow under international law “A solution will be found and that it will not become a “frozen conflict” in the long term and that it can always become hot again.”
Vote to end the war?
The regional bishop is also concerned with the legitimation of the war: “What I find an exciting question is whether in a democratic country one should be able to vote on whether this war should be ended and under what conditions. Because the high death toll makes it so “It’s very difficult for the government to decide on this. Legitimization could be helpful here.”
