German Bundestag Recognizes Germany's Special Historical Responsibility To Ukraine For Nazi Crimes

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The votes took place during a plenary session of the Bundestag on Friday, October 9, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The motion submitted by the governing CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary groups emphasizes that Germany's special historical responsibility to Ukraine also entails a present-day political obligation.

“Germany's special historical responsibility to Ukraine gives rise to a political obligation to preserve the memory of the crimes committed during the National Socialist occupation. Today, Germany and its partners stand for Ukraine's freedom, sovereignty and self-determination. Germany stands alongside Ukraine as it defends its territorial integrity, national independence and democratic future against Russia's war of aggression, which is illegal under international law,” the document states.

It also explicitly links Germany's historical responsibility to its current assistance to Ukraine.

“This responsibility finds concrete expression in comprehensive support for Ukraine's self-defense; efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian children and adolescents abducted by Russia; support for reconstruction and the strengthening of democratic and legal institutions; and assistance to Ukraine on its path toward EU accession, as well as in maintaining strong transatlantic relations,” the motion states.

The coalition motion calls on the federal government to continue providing Ukraine with comprehensive political, economic, financial, humanitarian and military support as it defends its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity against Russian aggression. It specifically calls for continued military assistance in coordination with European and transatlantic partners, including the provision of necessary weapons systems, ammunition, equipment, training capabilities and logistical resources.

The second adopted document, a motio submitted by the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group, states the point even more directly:“Germany recognizes its special historical responsibility toward Ukraine and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.”

The document also states that“Germany bears a special historical responsibility toward Ukraine and for peace throughout Europe.”

In view of Russia's war of aggression, the Bundestag motion calls on the federal government to continue supporting Ukraine“at all levels, and to a greater extent,” in defending its right to self-determination, independence, freedom, territorial integrity and sovereignty, and to strengthen political, financial, humanitarian and military assistance.

One notable feature of the vote was that the German parliament adopted both competing motions. The opposition Greens' motion was supported by the Greens and the Left Party, while the CDU/CSU, SPD and the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) abstained. The motion submitted by the CDU/CSU and SPD was supported by the governing parties, while the Greens and the Left Party voted in favor and the AfD abstained. Thus, every parliamentary group in the Bundestag except the AfD supported at least one of the two motions, and neither motion received any votes against it.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, who watched the debate and voting from the Bundestag's visitors' gallery, called the outcome unique, noting that parliament had ultimately approved two separate motions, one from the governing coalition and one from the opposition.

“According to the usual logic of parliamentary politics, this should not have happened. But it did. Instead of playing politics, the German Bundestag's parliamentary groups – all except one – decided to make history. They allowed both motions to proceed, and not a single vote was cast against either of them,” the Ukrainian ambassador wrote on Facebook.

He said the Ukrainian side had spent several years working on the issue of Germany's historical responsibility and the idea of a corresponding Bundestag resolution.

“We spent several years working on the issue of historical responsibility and on the idea of a Bundestag resolution. In the end, we got two. But most importantly, we recorded a fundamental and profound change in attitudes,” the ambassador said.

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Makeiev also drew a parallel with the Bundestag vote in autumn 2022, when the German parliament recognized the Holodomor of 1932–1933 as genocide.

“I was in this same gallery in autumn 2022. I saw how Germany's democratic parliamentary groups can demonstrate unity when it comes to what matters most. Back then, the Bundestag recognized the Holodomor of 1932–1933 as genocide. I remember the special sincerity and unity that prevailed in that chamber. Today, I felt the same thing again,” the ambassador said.

Summing up the parliament's decision, Makeiev wrote:“On October 9, 2026, the German Bundestag officially recognized Germany's special historical responsibility to Ukraine for the crimes of National Socialism.”

As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, previously said in an interview with the agency that German leaders were increasingly speaking about the country's historical responsibility specifically toward Ukraine, rather than only toward Russia. He said this was the result of systematic efforts by Ukrainian diplomacy to encourage Berlin to reassess historical narratives.

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