Onshore facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany. File photoMOSCOW, Feb. 14 SPD Chairman Lars Klingbeil and TV presenter Markus Lanz had a skirmish over Nord Stream 2 on the ZDF TV channel. During the discussion, Lanz demanded that the German politician publicly say, that in the event of Russia's «invasion» of Ukraine, «gas will not flow through the pipeline.»
"What could be incomprehensible in the phrase "All options are on the table?" asked Klingbeil.
Lantz replied that «we shouldn't tell each other fairy tales now.» Then the head of the SPD retorted that it would be stupid to talk about stopping Nord Stream 2 in advance.
"Where do you lack clarity? I think it’s absolutely stupid to tell Putin "what if…",’ the politician explained.
Klingbeil also called for a dialogue with Moscow because of the hysteria in the West about “Russian aggression” .
"Sustainability and stability in Europe are possible only in cooperation with Russia, and not in the fight against it", the politician concluded.
In recent months, the West has been accusing Moscow of plotting an «invasion» of Ukraine and is ramping up its presence in Eastern Europe. In Russia, they reject all claims, emphasizing that they are moving troops within their territories, and also remind that they do not participate in the intra-Ukrainian conflict and do not violate any agreements, unlike Kiev, which does not comply with the Minsk agreements.
Pushkov explained why the United States is fanning hysteria about Russia's invasion of Ukraine As Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Moscow does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine, hyped by the West, is aimed at «covering Kiev's line of sabotage» of the Minsk agreements on Donbass. As noted in the Kremlin, the information hysteria of the US and NATO on Ukraine is generously framed by lies and fakes. Russia has repeatedly emphasized that Nord Stream 2, which the US and Ukraine are actively opposed to, is commercial and beneficial to Europe, and urged to stop mentioning it in the context any politicization. Moscow has also stated that it intends to continue gas transit through Ukrainian territory.