German politicians clash over Nord Stream 2 revival proposal
Politicians from various German parties have criticised CDU deputy Thomas Bareiss's proposal to repair and activate the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. According to Bareiss, the pipeline could be rebuilt to supply Russian gas to Germany once peace is achieved in Ukraine.
Relations with the Russian regime will eventually normalise, and "of course, then gas will flow again," the Bundestag deputy wrote on LinkedIn, as reported by the newspaper Tagesspiegel.
Whether Europe will import gas from Russia in the future will be decided by the market itself, evaluated Bareiss on LinkedIn.
He also noted that it is significantly cheaper and more climate-friendly than liquefied natural gas from other countries, so "it will certainly quickly find buyers in Europe".
"Thomas Bareiss's statement caused significant outrage. Probably also because the 50-year-old is not an insignificant figure: he represents his party in the current coalition negotiations with the SPD," the newspaper noted.
One of the party colleagues whom Bareiss angered with his statement is former CDU General Secretary Ruprecht Polenz. In a conversation with "Tagesspiegel", the politician said Bareiss's assessment is a "complete absurdity".
Polenz stated that Putin's Russia could never be trusted again, and trust in America had been shaken during Trump's presidency. He argued that the coalition agreement (of the planned CDU/CSU and SPD government) should therefore exclude the possibility of restarting the Nord Stream pipeline. He also expressed surprise that it is Bareiss, and not Roderich Kiesewetter, representing the CDU in the coalition negotiations, stating that Kiesewetter would not make such a mistake.
According to many of Bareiss's party colleagues in the CDU, his statement "is disastrous in several respects".
It can be assumed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would make the lifting of sanctions a condition of a peace agreement with Ukraine. Signalling to the regime that, from that point, Germany would want to import Russian gas again would be a boon to Putin - we read in "Tagesspiegel".
For weeks, speculation has been rife that American investors might be interested in launching Nord Stream 2. According to media reports, several discussions on the matter have already taken place. However, an agreement would need to be reached not only between Russia and potential investors. Germany would also have to consent to its use—it ends in Lubmin, near Greifswald," the newspaper pointed out.
Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter calls Thomas Bareiss's proposal a "scandalous statement." If Germany buys gas from Russia again, "it would mean that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be rewarded for his aggressive war," Hofreiter says.
His party colleague, Reinhard Buetikofer, added on platform X: "Connections to Moscow exist not only in the SPD!".
"Imperialist Russian policy"
Michael Roth (SPD), the outgoing chairman of the Bundestag's foreign affairs committee, emphasised that "anyone who speaks this way has learned nothing from recent history" in the context of Bareiss's statements. He warned that Russia remains committed to its imperialist policy and aims to destroy Ukraine as a free, democratic country.
Roth warned that Russia remains a significant security threat and stressed that Germany must acknowledge the need to safeguard itself from and against Russia for the foreseeable future. He emphasized the importance of further reducing energy dependence on Russia, including limiting the import of uranium to certain EU countries.
According to Tagesspiegel, Fritz Felgentreu, a former Bundestag deputy and spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group on defence, shares a similar perspective. He says resuming gas imports from Russia is not an option in the current situation and calls it a completely misguided signal. Felgentreu warns that such a decision would reinforce Russia's strategy and damage Germany's credibility, especially in Eastern and Central Europe.
