Manuela Schwesig remains SPD state leader: Her pro-Russia course for a long time brought harsh criticism. At the SPD party conference, the comrades in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania now appeared forgiving – at least most of them
Manuela Schwesig remains SPD state leader: Her pro-Russia course for a long time brought harsh criticism. At the SPD party conference, the comrades in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania now appeared forgiving – at least most of them
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Below is the backstory. TLDR: Schwesig colluded with Gazprom, Russia’s state-backed energy company, to circumvent U.S. sanctions and promote the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline before it was canceled. Despite this corruption scandal, Schwesig has just been re-elected as state chair with 88.5% of the votes.
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>**Explainer: How a German ‘climate’ fund set out to help Russia dodge U.S. sanctions**
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>BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) – A German politician set up a state-backed foundation with Russian energy company Gazprom last year to help Moscow avoid U.S. sanctions on a pipeline due to carry Russian gas to Europe.
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>The move adds to questions about whether the United States and Germany are on the same page over the $11 billion project – a crucial issue as the two major democracies lead NATO allies in a pushback against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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>In 2019, Washington imposed sanctions on those involved in laying the pipeline, Nord Stream 2. The United States has argued that the line, which is built but is not yet pumping gas, is a tool for Russia to support aggression against Ukraine.
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>A major pipeline from Russia to Europe currently crosses Ukraine, but Nord Stream 2 runs direct to Germany under the Baltic Sea. By enabling Russia to cut Ukraine out of Europe’s energy supply, Washington says the pipe will weaken Kyiv and make it more vulnerable to Russian invasion.
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>Germany rejects the U.S. sanctions, saying Nord Stream 2 is primarily a commercial project that diversifies energy supplies for Europe. Senior German politicians from both main parties have said the U.S. objections are self-interested: Washington wants to sell Germany more gas.
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>Russia has repeatedly said that the project is commercial, not political, it would help alleviate power shortages in Europe and bring down gas prices; it says the sanctions are unfair and serve as a tool against competitors.
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>Its charter says the Foundation’s secondary goal is to make sure the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed, “regardless of external efforts.”
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>The Foundation can acquire, manage, own, provide or let land, tools and machines that help it fulfill either goal, including the completion of the pipeline, the charter says.
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>”We believe that it is right to build the pipeline,” Schwesig told reporters in January 2021.
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>She and others have argued that Germany needs a source of energy which does not depend on good will between Russia and Ukraine. Advocating for the pipeline in the state parliament last January, Schwesig said the U.S. sanctions were self-interested.
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>”Nobody who is working on building the pipeline is doing anything wrong,” she said. “The ones doing something wrong are those who are trying to stop the pipeline at the last minute … That’s why we expect our Federal Government to push back firmly against the sanctions.”
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>Schwesig’s Social Democrat Party (SPD), which leads Germany’s governing coalition and has traditionally advocated for close relations with Russia, is the bedrock of political support for the foundation, but a politician from the opposition Christian Democrats also serves on its board – reflecting broad public backing for Nord Stream 2 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
[https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/how-german-climate-fund-set-out-help-russia-dodge-us-sanctions-2022-02-10/](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/how-german-climate-fund-set-out-help-russia-dodge-us-sanctions-2022-02-10/)
It’s just so weird to me that Germans are so attached to Russia. I can understand if it’s like they feel bad for ww2 or something but like… Germans killed a crazy amount of Ukrainians and other EE folk yet they don’t seem to care about that as much.
German politicians deepthroting russian interests is just disgusting. But hey that russian money sure is sweet and gets the bmw&mercs home.