The head of the government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the current head of the Bundesrat, Manuela Schwesig, arrived by train in the Ukrainian capital on the morning of June 24.
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At the beginning of her visit, she declared that “Ukraine must win the war.”
Such statements contradict Schwesig’s previous position. In particular, she defended the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project until the very end, through which gas was to be delivered from Russia to Germany. That’s why the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrei Melnik, even said that he would never shake her hand.
Up until the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Schwesig could be described as an ally of the Kremlin. Among other things, she was involved in the scandal with the so-called climate fund, which was filled with money from Russia and created in order to circumvent American sanctions during the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Schwesig now calls 2022 a “personal turning point.” However, despite Ukraine’s support, it continues to be reminded of cooperation with Moscow. Schwesig, in turn, is actively trying to get rid of this legacy.
My trip is a sign of solidarity among all 16 federal states [Німеччини] from Ukraine. Ukraine must win this war; Russia cannot be allowed to get away with this aggression,” she said upon arriving in Kyiv.
Schwesig became in the eyes of the German public, along with her party-Gazprom patron Gerhard Schröder and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, another great political figure from the ranks of the Social Democrats, personifying Germany’s false policy towards Russia.
In January 2021, a regional fund called “Climate and Ecological Protection” (“Klima- und Umweltschutz MV”) was created in Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Even then, it immediately became clear that the euphonious name was just a screen, and the real goal of the fund, immediately called “fairy” by critics, was to promote the completion of the construction of Nord Stream 2 and protect from US sanctions firms that were suppliers of the project or provide services for him. The media reported that the start-up capital of 20 million euros was contributed by Gazprom, or rather its wholly owned Swiss subsidiary Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the future gas pipeline, when creating the fund.
But this company no longer exists, after the Russian aggression against Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, the European participants in the project wrote off Nord Stream 2, the pipe was mothballed, the government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern admitted mistakes in relation to the Russian Federation and set about liquidating the fund. It would seem that the topic is closed.
However, German journalists decided to dig deeper, and on April 10, the conservative newspaper Welt am Sonntag published an article entitled “Schwerin as a subsidiary of Nord Stream 2 AG” and the subtitle “How Manuela Schwesig allowed herself to be used by the controversial foundation of Gazprom’s daughter.”
This publication, based on 960 pages of foundation-related documents and correspondence obtained by the editors, focuses on the nature of the relationship between the funder and the state government.
Schwesig at one time instructed two trusted persons from the closest political circle to ensure the creation of the fund; today they occupy the positions of Minister of Finance and Minister of the Interior of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Welt am Sonntag concluded that these politicians “effectively received instructions” from Nord Stream 2 AG employees.
The newspaper quotes one of the letters, in which Gazprom’s daughter gives them the following instructions: “We should try, with a sly smile, to position the fund as a ‘smart answer’ to the habits of hardliners in the United States.” “This is exactly how Prime Minister Schwesig promoted the idea, with a clearly anti-American overtone,” the publication states. Moreover, Manuela Schwesig herself directly asked to send her a manual with answers to media questions.
Journalists also discovered a secret manual with specific recommendations on how to circumvent sanctions. In particular, it proposes fictitious employment in the fund for experienced employees of Nord Stream 2 AG, who would formally be involved in climate protection, but in fact would work on completing the gas pipeline.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.