Rome, 3 August 2022 – One can be reached to end the war in Ukraine negotiated solution with Russia. This is the “good news” communicated by the former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder after meeting Vladimir Putin last week in Moscow. In an interview published today in Stern magazine, and also released on RTL TV, the former Social Democratic Chancellor – for months at the center of controversy for his too close relations with Russia – declared on his return from Moscow that “the good news is that the Kremlin wants a solution with negotiation “.
Schroeder and the gas crisis: “Nord Stream 2 is ready”
On the question of gas crisisthe former German chancellor pushed for Germany to activate the Nord Stream pipeline 2, blocked by Berlin in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Nord Stream 2 “it’s ready. If things get really tough, there is this pipeline, and with both Nord Stream pipelines there would be no problem supply for German industry and German households, “said Schroeder. The former chancellor has long been criticized in Germany for his close friendship with Putin and for his roles in Russian energy companies, in particular for his past in the supervisory board of Gazprom companya position that Schroeder had to stop renewing in May.
Putin confirms: “We can give all the gas to Europe by the end of the year”
Last week’s meeting between Putin and Schroeder was also confirmed by the Cremilino through his spokesman Dmitri Peskov who added that the former German chancellor said he was “worried” about the energy crisis in Europe and asked Putin for an explanation. The Kremlin leader then explained to the former chancellor that the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline could provide, at its maximum, 27 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe before the end of the year.
Vladimir Putin had recently proposed the activation of Nord Stream 2 to compensate for the cuts in the flow of Russian gas to Germany via Nord Stream 1 (which currently carries only 20% of its capacity). According to the Russian version, the Nord Stream 1 would have technical problems related to one missing turbine, repaired in Canada but would not be returned.
Scholz e Nord Stream 1 turbine: “It’s a Russian bluff”
But, just yesterday, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that it is a Putin “bluff” and that Berlin does not believe Moscow’s justifications for the missing Nord Stream 1 turbine. The German Minister of Economy and Climate, Robert Habeckhas already reiterated that the turbine in question would be anyway ready for delivery to Russia since July 18, but that “Moscow would do anything not to catch it. This is a farce”.
A position that the German Chancellor Scholz re-launched today by going to inspect in a depot in Mülheim an der Ruhr the turbine repaired in Canada, the absence of which – Moscow claims – would be causing a reduction in gas flows to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. “The turbine is there and can be delivered – confirmed Scholz after the Siemens Energy company yesterday confirmed that it is ready for transport to Russia. “All the technical reasons presented are not understandable on the basis of the facts”, added the chancellor, referring to the fact that for Berlin in reality Moscow has reduced the gas supplies to punish Germany for the support given to Ukraine: “By handing over the turbine we go to discover the bluff Putin’s “At this point Moscow” only has to provide customs information necessary for its transport to Russia, “added Scholz speaking on the sidelines of the visit to the industrial plant in the Ruhr region.