Back from Moscow: For an end to the war in Ukraine and a new start for European-Russian relations; rebuilding ties between the EU and Russia step by step.

A strict refusal to engage in dialogue on the part of EU member states, coupled with ultimatums, is completely the wrong policy here. It is in Europe's interest to support and promote efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, rather than pursuing a policy of massive rearmament and self-destructive sanctions. and to rebuild relations with Russia step by step.

This independent initiative by parliamentarians shows that there are still steps towards diplomacy, even if they do not come from official quarters. It is encouraging to see that these efforts have begun, and we are determined to continue along this path. Michael and I criticise the European Union's decision to refuse any contact with Russia while issuing ultimatums. This stance contradicts the UN Charter, which promotes dialogue as a means of conflict resolution. On 8 May, we issued a statement with a group of parliamentarians containing an urgent call for peace. The following day, Michael von der Schulenburg travelled to Moscow with other parliamentarians to issue another statement at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Press statement by MEPs Michael von der Schulenburg and Ruth Firmenich on their trip to Moscow on 9 and 10 May 2025

On 9 and 10 May 2025, we travelled to Moscow together with three other Members of the European Parliament, Ondrej Dostal from the Czech Republic, Lubos Blaha from Slovakia and Fidias Panayiotou from Cyprus, to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over German fascism. The aim of our trip was to commemorate the victims of the world war unleashed by Nazi Germany and to hold talks with representatives from politics and society. With our trip, we wanted to oppose the imposed breakdown in communication and emphasise how important it is to have exchange, especially in times of crisis.

On 9 May, we did not attend the military parade, but laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to commemorate the 27 million victims of Nazi Germany's barbaric campaign against the Soviet Union and the decisive role played by the Red Army in the victory over National Socialism. We were touched by the fact that even the many visitors who were at the memorial site that day to honour their relatives murdered by Germans did not show us any hostility, even though we spoke German.

During our talks with high-ranking Russian representatives (see appendix), we encountered a great willingness to engage in an open exchange, even on difficult topics, and there were no restrictions on the topics of discussion. Naturally, we raised our concerns about the catastrophic humanitarian and political consequences of the war in Ukraine and expressed our hope that a peaceful resolution to the conflict would be reached as soon as possible. We emphasised strongly that the weapons must finally fall silent for good and that negotiations must be held to enable the search for a peace settlement that takes into account the interests of all parties to the conflict, including, of course, Ukraine, as this is the only way to secure lasting peace in Europe.

At none of our meetings did we encounter any resentment or statements such as those that are unfortunately now being made in Germany, even by the Foreign Minister (‘Russia will always be an enemy for us’). Our interlocutors in Russia repeatedly referred to the former good relations with Germany and emphasised how important it is in the interests of both sides to resume dialogue. At the end of our trip, we attended a performance at the Bolshoi Theatre to underline that culture is also something that unites us.

We returned from our trip convinced that finding a peaceful, stable and forward-looking post-war solution for Ukraine and Europe should be a priority and urgent task, and that this can only be achieved through negotiations with Russia. A strict refusal to engage in dialogue on the part of EU Member States, coupled with ultimatums, is completely the wrong policy here. It is in Europe's interest to support and promote efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine and to rebuild relations with Russia step by step, rather than pursuing a policy of massive rearmament and self-destructive sanctions.

We would like to emphasise that we did not represent the European Parliament in Moscow, nor were we official guests of the Russian government. We undertook this trip out of a sense of personal responsibility as European parliamentarians and covered all travel expenses from our own private funds. We have submitted a transparency declaration to the European Parliament.

Brussels, 16 May 2025

Michael von der Schulenburg

Ruth Firmenich