A former adviser to ex-Chancellor Merkel speaks openly of mistakes in Russia policy. This also includes the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, says safety expert Christoph Heusgen. However, he also gives the reason for the decision – and refers to the support of the SPD.
The chairman of the Munich Security Conference and former foreign and security policy adviser to ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, Christoph Heusgen, has acknowledged mistakes in Russia policy during his tenure. Gas never flowed through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, “but if you ask me – yes, in retrospect it was a mistake,” Heusgen told the “Welt”.
Heusgen explained that the federal government decided in favor of the German-Russian pipeline project in 2015 because after the reactor accident in Fukushima, Japan, they wanted to phase out nuclear energy quickly and Russian gas was the fastest and cheapest solution. “The SPD and the economy” were “very much in favor”.
Nord Stream 2 was built to transport gas from Russia to Germany. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the federal government decided not to put the pipeline into operation.
Heusgen also called for the delivery of German Leopard battle tanks to the Ukraine in the “Welt”. Germany has “a moral obligation to support this country,” he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on “the US and Europe’s economic and military support for Ukraine decreasing,” Heusgen warned. Despite requests from Kyiv, the German government has so far refused to hand over modern Leopard and Marder tanks to Ukraine.
The security expert also spoke out in favor of a European nuclear weapons umbrella. Germany should comment on France’s offer to negotiate a share in French nuclear weapons, Heusgen said, adding: “We should take up this offer and make it a European project that allows British participation.” If the United States were to focus more on Asia and Europe had to take care of its own security, “it can no longer be a taboo subject,” Heusgen argued.
