After the Russian attack on Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz proclaimed a turning point. In the USA, the German ambassador now admits a number of mistakes made in the past. Part of the change of course is also the renewed close alliance with the USA.
The German ambassador to the United States, Emily Haber, has admitted that Germany has made mistakes in its dealings with Russia in recent years. The improvement in relations with Moscow over several decades has strengthened the assumption on the German side that mutual dependence leads to stability, transparency and ultimately to systemic changes, Haber writes in a guest article for the Washington Post. That turned out to be wrong. "We have ignored warning signs to the contrary and failed to take criticism from our allies and partners as seriously as we should have - particularly regarding the geopolitical implications of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline."
Haber emphasizes: "All that is over now." Germany has rigorously embarked on a new course in several areas, for example with a view to increasing independence from Russian energy, arms exports to Ukraine or a large increase in defense spending. It is important to note "how far Germany has come in such a short time," writes Haber. This change is "real and permanent". And this change strengthens the already close relations with Germany's allies, above all with the United States.
In recent years, the US government has sharply criticized Germany's commitment to the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, which has long caused resentment and anger between Berlin and Washington. The pipeline was built to bring Russian gas directly to Germany. The United States had warned Germany against becoming too dependent on Russian gas. The federal government finally put the approval process for the finished pipeline on hold in February shortly before the Russian attack on Ukraine.
