Manuela Schwesig, the Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and a leading candidate for the SPD, admitted that she had personal errors in her assessment of Russia, particularly concerning the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Speaking to Welt-TV, she stated, “I view that critically. From today’s perspective, one must say that it was a mistake to believe that Russia was also interested in peaceful coexistence in the Baltic Sea region.”
Despite acknowledging this misjudgment, Schwesig defended her previous support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. She explained that she was operating at the level of policy set by the federal government at the time. The German government had then focused on “critical dialogue and economic cooperation” with Russia, and the entire cabinet had backed Nord Stream. “I did that because the goal was always low energy prices. And we see today how excessively high energy prices create great economic pressure on our economy and our population,” she said. She added that this was also due to the fact that Trump had threatened companies in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with his associates, companies that were merely building infrastructure approved under the rule of law. Schwesig noted, “I rejected this threat, which we are seeing from Trump again today.”
She emphasized that the Russian war on Ukraine has also represented a turning point in her personal view of events. Furthermore, the allegations surrounding her support for Nord Stream were reviewed for years by a parliamentary committee of inquiry. “Nothing came out of that, and no allegations were confirmed. What emerged was what was transparent from the outset to the parliament and the public: we supported Nord Stream because it concerned low energy prices for our economy and our jobs,” Schwesig stated.
However, Schwesig definitively ruled out any revival of gas supplies via Nord Stream. When asked if she would allow gas to flow through a repaired pipeline while Vladimir Putin remained the Russian president, the Prime Minister responded simply with “No.”
