Schröder told German media in a lengthy interview that he had nothing to apologize for over his friendship with Putin, whom he met last week during a visit to the Russian capital. Schroeder has come under fire for his business dealings with Russian state gas company Gazprom. He was one of the driving forces behind the construction of two Baltic Sea pipelines to transport natural gas to Europe, one of which was mothballed after the invasion of Ukraine. The other, Nord Stream 1, provides only 20% of the expected level of gas. Schröder is facing an investigation by the Social Democrats, of which he has been a member since 1963, over his ties to the Kremlin and his refusal to distance himself from Putin, and could still be expelled from the party. In a five-hour interview with Stern magazine and RTL television, he gave no direct insight into the Russian leader’s mindset. However, he said after his talks with Putin that he believed the conflict with Russia was “solvable” but required more negotiations – which should be led by Germany and France – and a greater show of sensitivity from the West towards “real fears of Russia getting involved.” from hostile countries, which “nourish historical events” and “unfortunately they were also”. Looking ahead, Schröder recommended an Austrian-style neutrality regime for Ukraine and a Swiss-style cantonment arrangement for what he described as the “most complicated” Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. He said both sides must show a willingness to compromise. But he would obviously not be drawn into talking about the atrocities committed by Russian troops since the start of the latest phase of the conflict, including the massacre at Bucha, the deaths of thousands of civilians across the country, the occupation of eastern and southern regions, the forced deportation of thousands of Ukrainians and allegations that the Kremlin is trying to exterminate the population. As for the controversy over why only a fifth – or 30 million cubic meters per day – of the expected amount of natural gas is currently flowing through the Nord Stream pipeline, Schröder said the blame lies at the door of Germany’s Siemens, which he blamed for the failure. to deliver a newly repaired turbine to Russia. However, according to the German government and Siemens, Moscow is to blame for its refusal to take delivery of the turbine, which was recently moved from Canada to Germany under a special permit allowing for the temporary suspension of sanctions against Russia. “We would see 60 million cubic meters, so double the amount flowing now, if the turbine (Nr 2) was available. That depends on Siemens as far as I understand,” he said. The same explanation for why the turbine remains stuck at Siemens Energy’s Mühlheim an der Ruhr plant has been given by Putin himself. On Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the site, who hoped to use the opportunity to, as he put it, “call Russia’s bluff”, stressing that the turbine stop was all the way to Moscow. Schroeder was scorned on social media and in government circles for his insistence in the interview that the simple solution to Germany’s energy needs – as it faces a winter of insufficient natural gas supplies – would be to activate Nord Stream 2, construction of which has been completed ago Removed by the German government in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST “The simplest solution would be to start operating Nord Stream 2,” Schröder said. “Done. If it really becomes tight in terms of natural gas, we have this pipeline and with both pipelines together there would be no supply problem for German industry or for German households.” The German government has no plans to activate the pipeline. Asked why he had refused to distance himself from Putin, Schroeder replied: “I would ask how would it help anyone if I personally distanced myself from Vladimir Putin? … Maybe I can even be useful. So why should I apologize?’
