The lie from ex German Chancellor Merkel , and current German President of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, is now exposed for the whole world to see.
Let us recall what Ursula said in 2018 regarding the Nord Stream2 pipeline..
"If you look at the gas pipeline ...Germany is an independent country where energy supplies is concerned.." (CNBC : Aug 20 2018) (my emphasis)
And when confronted by the reporter asking,
"... And you don't think this pipeline would compromise security ..." (ibid CNBC),
Ursula von der Leyen responded,
"No. In our own German interests we have to make sure that this is not the case ... But there are many other things to worry about" (ibid CNBC)
Let us also recall that in 2019 Jordan Stevens reported that,
"Depending on who you ask, Nord Stream 2 is either a sustainable way to ensure European energy security or a proxy for Russian hybrid warfare. With construction underway and as Germany attempts to downplay criticism of the project, concerns over security and geopolitics remain." (CNBC : 21 May 2019) (my emphasis)
As the Polish Prime Minsiter in 2019, Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki, explained,
"We also emphasise that the Nord Stream2 project is an anti-European project ...."
(video below: CNBC Jordan Stevens report),
And today, as gas prices spiral in the wake of world economies restarting after the slowdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic, Jake Horton reports that,
"Some analysts have suggested Russia could be holding back supplies to speed up approval of the newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipeline running directly from Russia to Germany.
This bypasses Ukraine, and has been met with objections on geo-political as well as environmental grounds, although Russia is keen for it to come on stream." (BBC : 14 October 2021) (my emphasis)
Jake horton further reports that,
"A significant section of the mainstream European media has attributed this to Gazprom intentionally withholding supplies in order to force the German regulator and European Commission to approve Nord Stream 2," says Jack Sharples, of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies." (ibid Jake Horton (my emphasis)
It should therefore come as no surprise that, as Georgi Gotev reports,
"In the context of skyrocketing gas prices and calls for Russia to supply more gas to the EU, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to exclude Ukraine as a transit country for such additional supplies." (Euractiv: 8 October 2021) (my emphasis)
"Putin explained that modern pumping equipment and new pipes allow increasing the pressure, which was not possible with the Ukrainian pipes." (ibid Georgi Gotev)
And in light of Putin's threat to bypass Ukraine's pieline to the EU, Thomas Escritt reoports that,
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had phone calls on Monday with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, and agreed their foreign ministers should meet, the German government said." (Reuters : 11 October 2021) (my emphasis)
Thomas Escritt further reports that,
"Then, Merkel and Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to progress with the peace talks, the German government said." (my emphasis)
Suddenly we also have,
Now recall that in my last blog entry I wrote that,
"Bear in mind that Putinversteher Merkel now acts as the Caretaker Chancellor of Germany until a post-election coalition can emerge, which will then appoint the new Chancellor for Germany. And Nord Stream2 is the pet project of BOTH Putin and Merkel." (blog entry : 29 Setember 2021)
Nothing more nor less than that he accepts the switching on of Nord Stream2 as a fait accompli in light of the EU currently facing a gas crises as their economies emerge out of their Covid 19 pandemic stagnation.
And Macron, with his eyes on becoming the leading statesman in the EU as Merkel departs from her political stage, will also be there to support Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen in their call for switching on Nord Stream2.
The fact that the EU has now added 8 more names to their sanction list against Putin's 'siloviki' and his cronies for,
"... [having] taken biased decisions in politically-motivated cases, and prosecuted or oppressed opponents of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol." (Council of the EU: 11 October 2021)"
smacks of nothing less than a rather pathetic political sop to soften up Zelensky as they prepare to present him with the fait accompli of switching on Nord Stream2.
Now, more than ever, Zelensky MUST stand his ground and not allow himself to be politically intimidated by the likes of Merkel, von der Leyen, or even Macron.
Zelensky must now confront Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, and Macron, who are on the verge of selling out Ukraine.
STOP PRESS!
A rather ominous development is now taking place in Putin's Russia. Putin's dangerous 'mindset' about Ukraine has been finally exposed.
"The Kremlin has published an open letter to and about Ukraine, replete with insults and threats. An official public document in such a style seemed inconceivable in contemporary international relations, but the Kremlin has turned the inconceivable into fact with this letter. Published in the Moscow daily Kommersant (“Why It Is Senseless to Deal with the Current Ukrainian Leadership,” Kommersant, October 11) and amply rebroadcast by Russia’s media, the letter carries the byline of Russian Security Council’s Deputy Chairman (and former president and prime minister) Dmitry Medvedev." (Eurasia Daily Monitor : 13 October 2021) (my emphasis)
What is even more significant is that Dmitry Medvedev, the author of this letter and former stand-in for Putin as President of Russia, could not have published this letter WITHOUT the approval of Putin.
As Peter Dickinson also reports,
As Dickinson further reports, and what is highly disconcerting,
"In one borderline antisemitic passage, Medvedev declared, “the current president of this exhausted country is a person of certain ethnic roots,” before going on to compare Zelenskyy to German Jews forced to collaborate with the Nazi regime" (ibid Dickinson)(my emphasis)
In light of the assertion of this letter that " .. It Is Senseless to Deal with the Current Ukrainian Leadership", value will that meeting of the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia proposed by Merkel and Macron really be?
This ominous letter preceded Putin's assertion that, "Putin explained that modern pumping equipment and new pipes allow increasing the pressure, which was not possible with the Ukrainian pipes." (ibid Georgi Gotev).
More than ever now, Zelensky must confront Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, and Macron, who are on the verge of selling out Ukraine.
(to be continued)
