If it is up to the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be implemented as soon as possible.
The Kremlin reports that it has discussed this in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and, according to Putin, the gas pipeline is ready for use. However, Schröder tells German media that the Kremlin is open to a solution.
Schröder is said to be concerned about the energy supply in Europe and sees Nord Stream 2 as a solution to the situation. The gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is ready for use, but Germany has indefinitely suspended the approval process due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, Putin has told Schröder that the gas supply through the existing pipelines has been reduced from 167 million to 30 million cubic meters per day. That alone would not be Moscow’s fault, but because of Polish sanctions, the shutdown of a pipeline through Ukraine, and technical problems.
The current German government accuses Russia of using energy as part of a “power game.” Last week, German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck emphasized once again that it is, in any case, not an option to open Nord Stream 2 after all.
Schröder is considered a personal friend of Putin and refuses to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In March, he also travelled to Moscow to meet with Putin. In Schröder’s view, the war can only be solved by continuing to talk to the Kremlin.
The 78-year-old Social Democrat ruled with the Greens from 1998 to 2005. He later became a leading lobbyist for Russian state energy companies such as Rosneft and Gazprom. Schröder has since stopped this after much criticism but is still involved in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline projects.