Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as an important link between Russia and Germany - and is causing outrage in Ukraine
The construction of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline is almost complete;
the project is causing criticism from the USA and France
Up to 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas are to be transported directly from Russia to Germany in the future.
With an interview, Steinmeier creates diplomatic tensions with Ukraine, as the country refuses to build the pipeline.
Berlin - Nord Stream 2 has been providing diplomatic explosives since construction began in 2018.
The energy project, in which German and other European companies are involved, is generating resistance, particularly from the USA.
European partners like France also see Russian interference in the European energy supply in the construction of the pipeline, as 55 billion cubic meters are to be transported from Russia annually.
Although the US has issued sanctions against companies involved in the construction in the past, the federal government is sticking to Nord Stream 2.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier's interview creates tension between Berlin and Kiev
In an interview with the
Rheinische Post
, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized the importance of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project for German-Russian relations.
The energy relations are "almost the last bridge between Russia and Europe".
Steinmeier emphasizes that Germany must keep an eye on the historical dimension and recalled the German attack on the Soviet Union in World War II, which will be 80 years old on June 22nd.
Steinmeier emphasizes that this does not justify any misconduct in Russian politics today.
“But we mustn't lose sight of the bigger picture.
Yes, we live in the present of a difficult relationship, but there is a past before and a future after. ”Statements that are causing outrage in Ukraine.
Ukraine reacts “stunned” to Steinmeier's interview
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, sharply condemned Steinmeier's statements on Tuesday.
Melnyk said that the interview with the Federal President was met with “disbelief” in Ukraine.
The ambassador particularly vehemently points out the “misleading” confusion of German-Russian history “with the millions of Soviet victims of the German war of annihilation”.
This comparison leads to the fact that other peoples of the former Soviet Union, "who suffered enormous human losses during the barbaric Nazi occupation, are overlooked".
The Office of the Federal President reacted in a brief statement: "The accusation is met with a complete lack of understanding in the Office of the Federal President," it said on Tuesday.
"The text of the interview speaks for itself."
Melnyk remembered the more than eight million Ukrainian victims of the Second World War, including 1.5 million Jews.
The German politics of remembrance must be “put to the test”, demanded Melnyk with a view to Steinmeier's remarks.
Critics also argue that Germany's historical responsibility resulting from the Nazi war of annihilation must not only apply to German-Russian conditions, but also apply to all other successor states of the former Soviet Union as well as Eastern European countries such as Poland and Ukraine.
Both countries reject the pipeline project.
Nord Stream 2 has been causing diplomatic tensions since construction began
Since Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in 2014, tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been the order of the day.
Moscow supported the former president, so that his removal led to upheavals in relations with neighboring states.
The annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Eastern Ukraine further exacerbated tensions.
The construction of the gas pipeline is causing displeasure, as Ukraine, as a traditional transit country, has benefited from Russian energy supplies to Europe.
(
jjf / dpa / AFP
) *
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