In order to increase the chance of more Russian gas, FDP Vice Kubicki wants to put Nord Stream 2 into operation. In doing so, he has met with clear criticism from within his own ranks. The Ukrainian foreign minister draws a comparison to drug addicts.
Federal Minister of Finance and FDP leader Christian Lindner clearly distances himself from the demands of his party deputy Wolfgang Kubicki for opening the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline. Lindner considers the proposal to be "wrong and absurd," said a spokeswoman for his Federal Ministry of Finance. Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said the federal government had no plans to put the pipeline into operation. Resuming the project is out of the question.
Other leading FDP politicians also distanced themselves from Kubicki's proposal: Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai pointed out that Russia uses energy policy "as a weapon". The decision not to put Nord Stream 2 into operation "was right and is right," he told Der Spiegel. Projects like Nord Stream 2 would have brought Germany "into a dangerous dependency" on Russia anyway.
FDP foreign politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff also pointed out on Twitter that Russia could also deliver gas through other pipelines such as Nord Stream 1 or Yamal. But if Nord Stream 2 were to go online, Germany would "single-handedly destroy the political consensus in NATO and the EU," which would be a "debacle."
Among other things, Kubicki had demanded in the newspapers of the editorial network Germany that Nord Stream 2 be put into operation. "We should open Nord Stream 2 as soon as possible to fill our gas storage for the winter," he demanded. Kubicki argued that it was "not more immoral" to obtain Russian gas this way than through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
Nord Stream 2 had "always been a solo effort" with which Germany "offended our Eastern European neighbors," recalled FDP parliamentary group leader Gyde Jensen. "Nord Stream 2 is dead," said FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and, referring to FDP Vice Kubicki, made it clear: "There must be no support for war criminals."
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr explained that the opening of the pipeline leading from Russia to Western Pomerania "would send the wrong signal to our European partners". On the other hand, it would be right to extend the service life of the three remaining nuclear power plants as a first step, Dürr demanded. "That would significantly ease the situation on the energy market and would also be an important sign of solidarity with our European neighbors."
The foreign policy spokesman for the SPD, Nils Schmid, told T-Online: "Once again, Mr. Kubicki is taking over the Russian propaganda and making himself Putin's henchman." The problem is not that Nord Stream 2 is not operational, but that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no political will to supply more gas. "We shouldn't also support this attempt at political blackmail." There is no lack of pipes, but Putin's will to properly supply Germany with gas through these pipes, said North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst from the CDU.
Green defense politician Sara Nanni took a similar line. With a view to Russia's politics, such a proposal strengthens false narratives. The shortage of gas has nothing to do with Nord Stream 2, but "is a political decision by Russia," emphasized Nanni. She reminded that the "unilateral depoliticization" of Nord Stream 2 during the construction of the controversial pipeline "presented us with the big problems that the federal government now has to solve in a hurry".
Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil emphasized that Germany is in a very tough dispute with Russia, which started with Russia's unjustifiable attack on Ukraine. "Burying Nord Stream 2 was one of the measures taken by the West to respond to this attack," said the SPD politician. Backing down at this point would clearly be a victory for Putin without any certainty that energy security will change for the better for the West. Germany must become independent of Russia as quickly as possible, he emphasized, referring to the LNG terminals planned in Wilhelmshaven and Stade in Lower Saxony. The terminal in Wilhelmshaven should be able to supply gas by the end of the year.
In addition to the domestic political criticism, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also chose clear words. "The calls from some German politicians to open Nord Stream 2 for a while and to close it again later are completely irrational. It's similar to the words of a drug addict saying: 'Just one last time!', without the devastating Consequences of 'one last time' to consider. Dependence on Russian gas is deadly!"
The demand for the opening of the pipeline is "part of the psychological warfare" of Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin, explained the SPD foreign politician Michael Roth on Twitter. He warned against "falling into one of Putin's traps again". Russia could deliver, "but doesn't want to," he said.
Praise for Kubicki came from AfD European politician Maximilian Krah. On Twitter, he welcomes the fact that Kubicki is taking over "our foreign policy position". "Start Nord Stream 2!", AfD boss Tino Chrupalla also demanded. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the German government decided not to put Nord Stream 2 into operation.
