Markus Lanz in turmoil: Controversies about Ukraine and arms deliveries!

Markus Lanz in turmoil: Controversies about Ukraine and arms deliveries!

The ZDF program “Markus Lanz” deals with current social issues, including the war in Ukraine, economic policy and the government work of the CDU/CSU and SPD. The moderation is in the hands of Markus Lanz, who has presented the show every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday since it was first broadcast in 2008. The guests regularly include experts from politics, science and journalism, whose names are often only announced late in the afternoon before the broadcast. The show takes place in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, and live broadcasts are carried out at important major events. Up to a million viewers watch the show, which has switched from tabloid topics to political content, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Since then there has been no longer a studio audience.

On May 21st, guests Matthias Miersch, Kristina Dunz, Lars Feld and Ibrahim Naber spoke about burning topics. The recent discussions focused on the war in Ukraine, in particular the negotiations with the USA and Russia and the future viability of the Bundeswehr. Markus Lanz, who was born on March 16, 1969 in Bruneck (South Tyrol) and has two daughters with his wife Angela Gessmann, often takes up key aspects of the political debate.

Arms supply controversy

The program, which aired on Thursday, May 22, also discussed controversial topics such as arms supplies to Ukraine. This is the subject of a discussion with the political scientist Ulrike Guérot and the FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. Strack-Zimmermann described Guérot's comments as “crazy” and questioned the relevance of a statement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz about arms deliveries. In this context, Lanz asked about the meaning of these statements, while Strack-Zimmermann suggested questioning Scholz directly instead of speculating about ambiguities.

The discussion was supplemented by journalist Frederik Pleitgen, who discussed the importance of long-range artillery for Ukraine. Natalie Amiri, on the other hand, advocated more concentration on crisis prevention instead of arms deliveries. Guérot, who criticized the focus of the debate as too narrow, instead called for negotiations and a ceasefire, while also identifying the US as key to resolving the conflicts.

Chaos in the discourse

The conversations between the guests turned out to be chaotic and not very informative, so that the author of the gleanings finally switched off after 32 minutes of a total of 74 minutes of broadcast time. Guérot spoke of four relevant wars that surround the current conflict: the war of aggression, the civil war in Ukraine, the information war and a proxy war between Russia and the USA/NATO. While Guérot calls for more neutrality in negotiations, Strack-Zimmermann expressed skepticism about any talks and pointed to Putin's intransigent stance on Ukraine since 2008.

Overall, the show, directed by Markus Lanz, addresses explosive social issues and promotes a lively discourse about the challenges facing Germany and the world. The next editions will air on Tuesday, May 27 at 11pm, with viewers eagerly awaiting further conversations.