Talks with Putin dangerous absurdity - German expert

German expert, journalist and publicist Richard Herzinger expressed this opinion in a comment to Ukrinform.

"The idea that it is possible to run some kind of peace negotiations with Putin is both absurd and extremely dangerous. This regime declares every day that it is not ready to hold any negotiations if the West and Ukraine do not comply with their terms. And this means that they not only want to rule Ukraine, but also seek the collapse of NATO and the EU. Therefore, there are absolutely no grounds for any negotiations," Herzinger is convinced.

He believes that Germany underestimates the fact that Russia wants more than just to conquer Ukraine, that it is waging a genocidal, total war of destruction. For these people, there are no compromises, they cannot be stopped, and they understand that if they do not achieve their goals, it will imply the end of the regime itself.

With the claim that, if they do not destroy Ukraine, then the latter will destroy Russia, they are acting very similar to how Adolf Hitler acted back in the day, Herzinger noted.

At the same time, the expert noted that it is difficult for his compatriots to accept the argument that today's Russia resembles Germany of 1933-1945 as it is difficult for the public to draw such parallels. According to him, the German "reconciliation with the past" has a very strange reverse side, the confession of one's own crimes of the past turned into the opposite – the conviction that only Germany could commit such atrocities, such genocide, and that it cannot be compared with anything else.

Avoiding such a comparison has become a kind of "export hit" for Germany, a unique image product: "we are the ones who committed the worst crimes, no one can compete with us in this, but also no one can cope with overcoming the consequences as well as us," the publicist explained.

However, he himself, like many others, sees that the crimes systematically committed by the Russian side are very similar to those perpetrated by the Nazis.

However, German politicians, Herzinger believes, have so far completely underestimated the full scale of the threat that comes from Russia. But it’s not only Germany that makes this mistake but also the West in general, including the U.S.

"In principle, people are more afraid that Russia will collapse than that Ukraine will lose. Therefore, they support Ukraine, but only to the extent to prevent such a defeat for Russia where the Russian state is destroyed," the expert believes.

He calls this phenomenon "the mania of stability above all." However, the worst instability imaginable comes precisely from today's Russia, Herzinger noted. Therefore, he fears that "sooner or later (partners) will look for a rotten compromise."

As reported, this weekend, a meeting to discuss the peace plan put forward by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is being held in Saudi Arabia, to which Russia has not been invited.