Interview
Im sternIn an interview, the former NATO Secretary General implores the Scholz government not to let Nord Stream II go online and calls on Germany to take a tougher stance against Russia.
Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, 68, sees the Nord Stream II Baltic Sea pipeline as a geopolitical project to the detriment of Europe. In an interview with the stern the former NATO chief said it should “cement Europe’s dependence on Russian gas supplies and deprive Ukraine and other countries of their transit revenues. In order to get the pipeline operational, Russia has cut gas supplies to Europe and gas prices have soared “This is blackmail,” says Rasmussen, and demands: “Germany should not approve the commissioning of Nord Stream II” – no matter how the current conflict over Ukraine develops.
“Appeasement Leads to War”
Rasmussen, during whose tenure as NATO Secretary General (2009-2014) the Russian annexation of Crimea and the militarily supported separation of the areas around Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine fell, knows Russian President Vladimir Putin from numerous meetings. He believes that NATO must react decisively to the current Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, with additional troop deployments in the eastern NATO states and further arms deliveries to Ukraine – including from Germany. “When dealing with dictators, a policy of appeasement does not lead to peace, but to war and conflict,” said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen places hope in the new Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, that Germany will adopt a more decisive course towards Russia. “I follow them with great interest,” said Rasmussen. Chancellor Olaf Scholz should initiate a change of course in German relations with Russia, the former head of NATO is demanding. “If he doesn’t, this new German government will be a huge disappointment for Europe.” The German sensitivity towards Russia, cultivated by the Merkel government for years, is “out of place” in view of its increasingly aggressive behavior.
The full interview with Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Source From: Stern
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