Anxiety and irritation over whether Moscow will permanently turn off the natural gas tap in comments and reports in the German press. Maintenance work bad?
“Fear of gas twilight”. The title that selects the Spiegel to describe the possibility of Germany going “dry” in the fall from natural gas it is indicative of the irritation prevailing in politics and the economy. “As of today, natural gas is no longer flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline due to maintenance works. But the fear that the flow will not resume is high” the columnist points out.
On the same wavelength and publications in other newspapers and online articles. “Winter starts this year on July 11”? its columnist asks mockingly Tagesschau. “Will it be cold from today Monday in the German apartments?”.
“More or less wrong choices”
The German press also gives wide publicity to the decision of its government Canadadespite the embargo regime, to give permission “time limited and revocable” to the manufacturer Siemens of Canada to deliver through Germany a repaired gas turbine, which Russia needs to get the pipeline back up and running. The Russian argument for reducing flows as early as June was that when the turbine was delivered, operation would be restored, but this is disputed. According to Handelsblatt “the exemption from the sanctions was justified by the relevant Canadian minister, among other things, with the argument that with his energy policy the Russian president wants to divide the partners”. Spiegel notes: “If the Russian excuse with the turbine is a sham, it will be seen very soon with Canada’s decision to make an exception to the Russian sanctions to allow supplies again.”
THE Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung considers the Canadian decision to be correct. “Among the government’s options for action, the one described by the Minister of Economy, Robert Hambeck, is already valid in the event of a complete interruption of the supply of Russian natural gas” notes. “In this case there are no right and wrong choices, but more or less wrong choices. The story of the Siemens pipeline turbine with its maintenance in Canada aptly illustrates this. In reality, of course, it is sent wrong message to Moscow, when the German government makes efforts to obtain a waiver of Canada’s Russian sanctions to allow the delivery of the turbine. But given Germany’s difficulties in the event of a complete shutdown of the pipeline, trying to remove a pretext from Moscow (to turn off the pipeline) is perhaps the least wrong option.”
The unrepentant Gerhard Schroeder
Flipping through Frankfurt’s prestigious newspaper one cannot overlook long article with a conversation between former chancellor and lobbyist for Russian energy interests Gerhard Schroeder and a newspaper columnist. Among many other things, Schroeder states that he is against sending weapons to Ukraine. “Why are we focusing on arms procurement? I don’t believe in a military solution” insists. “The war can only be ended by diplomatic negotiations. The fate of the soldiers and the Ukrainian civilian population can only be alleviated through a diplomatic solution.” To the observation that only with arms can Ukraine be able to negotiate, the former chancellor responds as follows: “There were and continue to be these negotiations. Even those not directly involved in this conflict should work together to find a diplomatic solution.” Schröder even expresses the view that negotiations have failed because of Ukraine. That the Russians are the ones who want to dictate the terms of talks aimed at eliminating Ukraine as a state, does not accept it.
At another point in his conversation and despite the ongoing Russian bombings, Schroeder states that he is not prepared to cut off contacts with Vladimir Putin. “I am not going to give up the possibilities of dialogue with the Russian president” repeats. This week, his deletion from the Social Democratic party is being judged. But let’s see through the pen of the German journalist how he describes him: “These days Schroeder sits in his sunny office in Hannover, in the best area. A police car patrols in front of the house. Less than two kilometers away, the conversations are taking place about his expulsion from the party. Schroeder says he is calm. Much of this conversation of ours, in which his wife also participates, should not be given verbatim. But it is clear that he still does not like to go with the mainstream stream, as he once put it, and he will not give up his friendship with Putin so easily.”
The Lindner wedding and the devastating floods
And in the midst of all the problems, he also came Christian Lindner’s three-day wedding, of the finance minister of the strict fiscal policy, in Mykonos, Germany, the island of Sylt, at a time when citizens may not be able to pay for basic food items. Many and varied comments in the German press, we pick this one from Berlin’s left-wing newspaper TAZ. We read:
“Lidner has never claimed to be living on welfare, so why shouldn’t he celebrate as he can and wants? The interesting question remains, if politically he can afford it. Because all this is not just private….and it coincided with the announcement from the ministry that benefits for the long-term unemployed will be cut due to the poor economic situation in the country… But what is the opposition leader Friedrich Merz doing too? He is flying to the party island in his private jet as the guest of honor. But that is also allowed, it fits even to a neoliberal millionaire who cares neither for social balance nor for the climate. But the president of the Christian Democratic party has promised both after his return to politics… However, no popular uprising is expected, because, nevertheless, a wider social class lives very well in Germany. But how chronically uncomfortable such images can turn out to be, we know from the laughter of the chancellor candidate Armin Lasset in last year’s devastating floods. In the autumn at the latest, when the appeals for austerity come, the pictures from the island of Zylt will make the rounds again.”
DW / Irini Anastasopoulou
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