The Bundestag urged to launch Nord Stream 2

Bundestag Vice Speaker Wolfgang Kubiki said that the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could solve the problems of the German economy and called on the German authorities to launch it, transmits Die Welt. Earlier, the government criticized this initiative of the representative of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), and Kubiki responded to objections.

Initially, the politician called for the immediate launch of the pipeline in an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) media group. It caused criticism among fellow party members of Kubiki and in the government of Germany. After that, Kubiki, in an interview with WELT, again explained his position, and also rejected the thesis that the launch of Nord Stream 2 “benefits the propaganda” of the Russian authorities.

“A gas embargo on our part would be irresponsible at the moment. It will be difficult for someone who supports my position on this to explain why we are keeping the pipeline closed, although we ourselves are seeking to remove the Nord Stream 1 turbine from sanctions, — declared Cubes (quote from RIA Novosti).

As Kubiki notes, connecting the pipeline could give Germany more room to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as opposed to Berlin’s proposal to reduce household energy use.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner called the proposal to launch Nord Stream 2 absurd and wrong, Deutsche Welle reported earlier, citing the press service of the department. They noted that the launch of the gas pipeline is not on the agenda.

The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stefan Weil, said that stopping Nord Stream 2 was one of the West’s responses to the military operation in Ukraine, and abandoning this decision “would be a victory for Putin.” In addition, the vice-speaker of the Bundestag was reminded that the moratorium on the launch of the pipeline was one of the points of his own program.

Kubiki’s fellow party member Stefan Tome considered the possible launch of Nord Stream 2 a “catastrophic violation of trust in the allies”, which “will only play into the hands” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was ready for launch as early as September 2021, but in February 2022, after Russia recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suspended the certification of the gas pipeline.