Additional capacity for Nordstream II - Germany plans to buy hydrogen from Russia and use NS II for transport

That is stretching it. This label might be appropiate for the AfD, Left Party and parts of the SPD but hardly for Laschet.

You sure?

....One of the controversial interviews that have resurfaced in recent days is one he gave in March 2014, around the time Russia annexed Crimea, criticising what he described as the "marketable anti-Putin populism" that was spreading in Germany. He quoted Henry Kissinger as saying: "Putin's demonisation is not a policy, but an alibi for the absence of one."

The interview that appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung established Mr Laschet as one of Germany's most prominent Putinversteher or defenders of Mr Putin. In it, he noted that there were 1,200 companies in North Rhine-Westphalia that traded with or had invested in Russia, and stressed the region's dependence on imports of Russian natural gas....

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...Four years later, Mr Laschet in a Twitter message said there was a lack of evidence to prove that Russia was behind the novichok attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in 2018.....

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...Both incidents had, he told reporters last month, "badly strained" Russo-German relations. However, he added that there was still scope to work with Russia on issues such as climate change, and on academic and economic exchanges. "We should stick to our guns but also look for areas where we can improve our relationship . . . and avoid triggering a new confrontation," he said....

aka appeasement!

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...Perhaps his most controversial foreign policy intervention was in 2014, when he accused the US of supporting Islamic State and the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, against President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria. At the time he frequently portrayed Mr Assad as a potential ally of the west in the fight against Islamist terrorism, and praised Russia for supporting the Syrian regime.

The person close to Mr Laschet said that in the 2014 Twitter message he was simply calling for a "more nuanced approach to the Syrian opposition, which was a lot more heterogeneous than people thought"....

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If that isn't VERY understanding for dictators than what is this...

Yeah, I did not know this, strange that this had not been brought up by his opponents.

Laschet has however also spoken out against ending the sanctions against Russia and against recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea, two demands Putinversteher usually make.

...which opponents? You said so yourself....AfD, LINKE and in big parts the SPD are Putinversteher themselves. And the Greens biggest problem with the pipeline have purely environmental causes...most won't be to unhappy about an appeaser in the Chancellory, who is left to complain?

Germany is right now, in big parts, not an exact advocat for freedom, democracy and human rights...neither concerning Russia nor China...regular empty sunday speeches not withstanding.

The problem is that we are not really willing to pay the prize for such policies. Especially regarding our military. Merkel has tried to increase the defence budget, but you see how much blowback she got ene against buying drones for defensive purposes.

That's it! *nods*

Eastern Germans are lucky. Great destine awaits them. Russians will help.

Nobody in Russia or Crimea gives a crap if Germany recognizes a free and internationally supervised referendum with no shots fired before, during, and after.

Those bad Russians must have scared the hell out of the Crimeans not to have any demonstrations, lootings, and arson. Really mean thing to do.

Here is an idea that may help: sue Russia. I am not sure where the robed clowns sit, though - Brussels or the Hague...You may want to google for that.

Russia is a rich self-sufficient state. Germany is a poor rogue state.

Na ja...

Hmmm...agreeable?


The U.S. and Germany have reached an agreement allowing the completion of a controversial Russian natural-gas pipeline, according to officials from Berlin and Washington, who expect to announce the deal as soon as Wednesday, bringing an end to years of tension between the two allies.....

wsj.com/articles/u-s-german-deal-on-russian-natural-gas-pipeline-expected-soon-11626813466?st=2za2qzs0evds2eu&reflink=article_copyURL_share

...Under the four-point agreement, Germany and the U.S. would invest $50 million in Ukrainian green-tech infrastructure, encompassing renewable energy and related industries. Germany also would support energy talks in the Three Seas Initiative, a Central European diplomatic forum.

Berlin and Washington as well would try to ensure that Ukraine continues to receive roughly $3 billion in annual transit fees that Russia pays under its current agreement with Kyiv, which runs through 2024. Officials didn't explain how to ensure that Russia continues to make the payments.

The U.S. also would retain the prerogative of levying future pipeline sanctions in the case of actions deemed to represent Russian energy coercion, officials in Washington said. ...

Meaningless, BS. This is the modus operandi of the Left in America, to always play from behind. Once the pipeline is finished, there's not much one can do to punish "deemed Russian energy coercion."


In other words, Biden Syndicate buddies will be getting some payback.

...from Ukraine after ripping off the US taxpayers for the subsidies so badly needed "to save the earth".

That I found funny....lets wait for the official declaration!

Indeed the point being that Biden reneged on a deal Trump made with Poland and EE. Now USA can bugger off as they not only F it up but also seriously undermined their credibility in this region.

It's because the US is in fact a sick authoritarian system where one guy can do almost anything including starting wars and signing unconstitutional executive orders.

This leads to on-off-on-off madness and no continuity in policies. Obongo undid Bush, Trump undid Obongo, and Biden is dismantling Trump. Your average mental institution is more stable and predictable. See: Keystone

How big is the chance that the Republicans can still do something about that shady appeasement deal?

That's an exaggeration..it's not quite authoritarian.


The US can bugger off, but will that only embolden the likes of Putin to bugger on a little more?


What appeasement deal? The Biden Syndicate is working on more than one. :(

Write a list of what US presidents can do - on their own and without Congress - and the hair on your neck will stand up. There is an executive order that is known as the Mother Of Executive Orders or something like that. The same is true at the state level as we have seen recently.

Well there is still NATO but how credible is that, I guess good enough for now.

However any meangful project for the future of the region and the world is now out of the USA capacity and willingness to engage and that is a big mistake for which USA will pay later. That what I mean saying that USA are not longer the major player in the region - so they can as well bugger off!

Be it as it may Poland need to step up to the change with would require a new type of politicians to come to the fore./

As credible as the US was in Vietnam, and NATO (hahahaha...) in Afghanistan and Crimea. Hahahaha...

Biden chose Germany (and Russia) over Poland and CEE (and also against the UK just like Obama before him)

How it is going to work for the US remains to be seen, however the US may loose the only truly pro-American allies in Europe.

Even Stalin and the commies couldn't make Poland, especially Polish society, distant itself from the US but Biden and his politics (and Just447 act) just may...

Poland just needs to tighten up 3 Seas Initiative, keep Germany out of it at all cost and not count ot much on help from the US

"Allies" backstabbing Poland. No, that's Impossible! Who would have thought such thing is even remotely possible? *rolls eyes*

In Poland there are usually two camps: pro-German (PO) and pro-US (PiS) - I wonder how they feel now, being betrayed by both. :)


That'll probably happen, but in general we will have to start looking towards China more. As for both the EU and the US - they can all f**k off, a bunch of backstabbing bastards.

@GefreiterKania
Seems like the best idea, I personally dislike how the Chinese government is communistic in any sense (the ideaology is an abomination) and how they behave towards the legacy of Mao... Also how they treat the catholic church.

Alas we need to look at the straight facts, if Poland was able to co-operate and ally itself with pagan Lithuania turning it catholic. At least formally, then we as Poles shouldn´t have a beef with allying ourselves with the Chinese.

1. They are productive, and truthfully Poland´s only rival in terms of production on a national level, co-operation in this regard would be beneficial to both of us

2. They are far more willing to conduct business with Poland then the U.S, also it isn´t interested in meddling with Poland´s internal affairs

3. They are not a close neighbour of Poland like Russia or Germany, so basically nullifying the chance of being an potential military threat or aspirations of invading the country

4. I haven´t heard anything bad about Chinese tourists yet so far
5. There is a historical connection to the past when Poland represented Chinese interests and performed as an ambassador for the Chinese emperor´s in the past. A legitimacy the Chinese government for sure would like to repeat as to increase their legitimacy, especially as an argument towards Taiwan.

6. Poland could help out negotiating between Taiwan and the Chinese government thanks to the experiences of the talks from the round table. Showing how opposition in an communist state is able to find a compromise with the communist faction

7. Poland had no influence in the most tragic events of China in modern history (European powers + U.S+Japan trying to partition it, easily sympathetic to such a situation from an Polish perspective)

8. Polish and Chinese being considered one of the most difficult languages to learn finds understanding and mutual ambition to learn each others languages unless using a diplomatic lingua franca like English.

Exactly. Realpolitik is sorely needed in this dangerous moment in our history.

Agreed on 1-8. *thumbs up*

We have to act fast. Russian, German and American vultures are hungry and circling in the air.

Not the Chinese!!!! Please.....you think the Germans are bad...

Well, we couldn't possibly face Germany, Russia and the USA alone. We need an ally and China is the only superpower that hasn't backstabbed us with a wide smile on their face yet.

Poland would never be an ally....only a pawn! Where is the difference?

Russia too licks chinese boots...what leverage will Poland have if its then also loses the EU support and is seen as a kind of traitor?

China never played a role in Europe...no opportunities for backstabbing...that will change soon!

We are a pawn for the USA and the EU as well (as the NS2 deal clearly shows).


China doesn't have (and never had) any hostile intentions or territorial claims on us.


The EU support is questionable recently. Poland is attacked on legal basis (the court reform) and criticised for rejecting the cultural revolution (the whole LGBT/gender thing) - there are even rumours that the EU rebuilding funds (Corona) will be taken away from Poland if we don't succumb to the demands of stopping reforms.

The EU seems to be against us, the Russian threat is more real than ever, and the Americans whom we considered the only reliable (more or less) ally is supporting Russia in building NS2. The demons from the past are back again. Scary stuff. :-/

Just don't overreact....lets wait and see....

Imagine Putin doing anything stupid and abusing the power that pipeline gives him.....imagine Poland standing in Brussel and rightfully pointing blaming fingers at Germany and Co supporters.

Alot of leverage to get compensation...or support for certain polish interests....giving the new german gov the opportunity to kill any deal...everything is possible.

I doubt that pipeline topic ends here! :)

On the other hand, should Poland be seen as an unreliable EU member....that righteous, much deserved leverage will vanish into thin air, any sympathy for the polish plight too...


Who in Europe has???


Pot...Kettle! :)

I truly think that if Poland would had used the recent decades better for networking in Brussels, immersing itself in all things EU as an essential, indispensable player rather than that annoying (expensive) cog in the wheel with Chinese-boot-licking-Orban-Hungary as its only friend, that pipeline would be long dead by now...