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German politicians are discussing how to react to the poisoning of the Russian opposition. When it comes to concrete measures with economic consequences, opinions also differ among party colleagues.
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet wants nothing to do with the rapid completion of the pipeline project, and is likely to receive sympathy from East German CDU members.
German politics are concerned about the case of the poisoned Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny. On the fringes of the political spectrum, with the Party of the Left and the AfD, people are once again demonstratively pro-Russia. The Christian Democratic Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Social Democratic Chancellor Heiko Maas, on the other hand, found clear words for the Kremlin’s behavior. That does not mean that they and their parties are absolutely ready to engage in a confrontation with Russia. When it comes to concrete measures with economic consequences that Berlin could take against Moscow, the unity will soon end. This also applies within the CDU, Germany’s largest ruling party.
Defense Minister and outgoing CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, through which Russian natural gas will soon flow through Germany into Western Europe, “is not a matter of the heart” for her. At the same time, with Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and his North Rhine-Westphalia counterpart Armin Laschet, two heavyweights from the CDU have warned against abandoning the project.
A pro-Russia attitude helps in the East
Even during the Cold War, the Federal Republic of Germany imported gas from the Soviet Union, Kretschmer said last weekend; it is completely wrong to jeopardize economic relations with Russia now. Laschet explained that the question of where Germany will draw its energy in the future must be decided “in the interests of both parties and according to objective criteria.” What is needed now is a European response to Russia’s behavior and Moscow’s willingness to investigate the case and hold those responsible to account.
The docile reaction of the two prime ministers comes as no surprise: East German CDU politicians like Kretschmer have in the past spoken out much more in favor of Russia than their West German party colleagues; They serve a generalized state of mind among the East German population according to polls: Despite (or perhaps because of) decades of Soviet occupation, many East Germans feel emotionally closer to Russians than to Americans.
Laschet hails from the far west of the republic, but has always drawn attention for his great leniency towards Moscow: in 2014, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which was contrary to international law, he complained of an “anti-populism. -Putin marketable “in Germany. rule. In 2018, following the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England, Laschet criticized the West’s concerted action and doubted that the British had sufficient evidence that Russian state agencies were behind the attack. Like Navalny, Skripal was poisoned with Novichok.
Already in 2014, he himself more or less openly exposed the motives behind Laschet’s policy in Russia: in North Rhine-Westphalia alone, 1,200 companies were trading with Russia, he explained; Furthermore, 40 percent of the natural gas that Germany needs for the energy transition comes from Russia.
Röttgen expresses himself more clearly
Laschet is currently running for president of the CDU party. In the conservative state associations of East Germany, where many lean towards his opponent Friedrich Merz, he has been trying for some time to gain sympathy: last weekend he performed with Kretschmer; in August he visited the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff. Underlining his pro-Russia stance could do more than harm Laschet in the east.
Merz, on the other hand, seems to be tougher on Moscow: so far, he has been in favor of further construction of the pipeline despite some concerns, he told the newspaper “Bild”, but after the attack on Navalny he proposes “an immediate freeze two-year construction, that is, a moratorium. “Up front. It is noteworthy that Health Minister Jens Spahn, who supports Laschet in the fight for party leadership, also distanced himself from him: there is no economic issue that can ultimately be more important than foreign and political interests. German and European security, Spahn said.
Among the candidates for the CDU presidency, Norbert Röttgen spoke most clearly in favor of canceling the pipeline project. ‘Europeans must respond together and stop this project. Putin understands that and nothing else, ”he said. Röttgen, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, offers the Nord Stream 2 debate an opportunity to sharpen his profile as a pro-Western politician who is critical of Russia. At the same time, it is so far behind its competitors Laschet and Merz that it can peek out the window at the pipeline question without risking too much.
“A private sector decision”?
The situation is different from the point of view of Markus Söder, Bavarian prime minister and leader of the Christian Socialist party: he still has a realistic chance of becoming the next CDU and CSU chancellor candidate. As far as Nord Stream 2 is concerned, he seems to hope that politicians can shirk their responsibility: “Basically,” he explained, “it is not a government decision, but a private decision.” One has nothing to do with the other.
Chancellor Maas hinted at how the debate on the German pipeline could end: “I don’t expect the Russians to force us to change our position on Nord Stream 2,” he told the “Bild am Sonntag” newspaper. At the same time, however, he referred to more than 100 companies from twelve European countries that are involved in the project. Narrowing down the discussion on Nord Stream 2 would not do justice to the brutal crime against Navalny. So go ahead and hope the recent Russian border crossing is also forgotten? It would not be the first time that the German government has acted in this way. Chancellor Merkel, her spokeswoman said Monday, shares her chancellor’s position.
You can do that Germany Correspondent Hansjörg Friedrich Müller follow on twitter.
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