Süddeutsche Zeitung Commentary Criticizes SPD Over Russia Ties

A commentary published by the Süddeutsche Zeitung argues that the responsibility for defending democracy no longer rests solely with the CDU. According to the text, recent days have demonstrated that the SPD and its Kremlin-friendly old guard are damaging the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Willy Brandt to a shameful degree. The piece is framed as a debate contribution and centers on the figure of former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, whose longstanding connections to Vladimir Putin have drawn sustained criticism in Germany. The commentary invokes Brandt, the former SPD chancellor honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, as a moral counterpoint to the party's current posture toward Moscow. No exhibition, artwork, or cultural institution is discussed; the text is a political opinion piece published in the newspaper's culture section. The article carries the headline 'Debatte: Herzlichen Glückwunsch' and appears under the URL sueddeutsche.de/kultur/schroeder-putin-geburtstag-krise-demokratie-li.3560494. It does not specify a publication date, nor does it name individual SPD officials beyond the reference to Schröder and Brandt. The commentary's central claim is that the SPD's Russia-friendly positions constitute a betrayal of Brandt's legacy, and it positions the CDU as no longer the sole guardian of democratic defense in Germany.