Germany's Klingbeil Rebuffs Calls to Restore Russian Gas Imports
(Bloomberg) -- The co-head of Germany's Social Democrats party and frontrunner to become the next finance minister Lars Klingbeil dismissed swirling speculation over reviving pipeline gas deliveries from Russia after a potential peace deal for Ukraine.
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Germany largely weaned itself off Russian energy supplies after the invasion of Ukraine three years ago and 'this path must be followed consistently,' Klingbeil told public broadcaster ARD in an interview. He sees no way back 'at all' and added that Germany is far from potentially normalizing relations with Russia due to the ongoing war against Ukraine.
High energy costs have been a key concern across German industry as Europe's largest economy is trying to revive growth after two years of stagnation. Speculation over a return of Russian gas imports has been swirling ever since discussions over a potential ceasefire emerged, with some local industry representatives in the country's east saying the cheaper supplies could help reignite momentum.
Klingbeil has played a key role in recent weeks — together with with chancellor-in-waiting and conservative leader Friedrich Merz — in pushing sweeping fiscal reforms through parliament to allow large-scale investments in infrastructure and defense.
Adding to the recent speculation, the Financial Times reported on Mar. 1 that Matthias Warnig, a former spy and allegedly close friend of Vladimir Putin, was 'engineering a restart' of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The move showed the breadth of US President Donald Trump's rapprochement with Moscow, according to the FT report. 'I'm not involved in such plans, I'm a pensioner,' Warnig told Zeit Online in a response to the article.
Warnig, who has been subject to US sanctions, worked for the secret service in Germany's formerly communist east. Putin awarded him a medal of honor in 2012 for his engagement to foster Russian-German ties.
Separately, Bild Zeitung reported in early March that Richard Grenell, Trump's envoy for special missions and a former US ambassador to Germany, had traveled to Switzerland several times in an unofficial capacity to participate in talks about Nord Stream 2. Grenell denied toward Bild Zeitung that he was involved. After the FT and the Bild report, at least two German lawmakers voiced support for Germany to consider Russian energy imports once a peace deal has been reached for Ukraine.
According to Klingbeil, Germany must avoid repeating past mistakes and becoming dependent on Russian energy imports even after the end of the war. 'We must not become naive again,' he said.
Klingbeil, Merz and their main allies are currently in talks to form Germany's next government following the federal election just over a month ago. In the documents negotiators are preparing ahead of a possible coalition framework Russia is singled out as the biggest security threat for Germany.
'Our security is under greater threat today than at any time in decades,' according to a document seen by Bloomberg News. 'The greatest and most direct threat comes from Russia, which is waging a brutal and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine for the fourth year and is continuing to massively rearm.'
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