The curious dispute over the whereabouts of the maintenance-requiring Siemens turbine, which Gazprom is using as an excuse to throttle the flow of gas through Nord Stream 1, has been enriched by a symbolic photo.
It shows Olaf Scholz with a serious expression in front of the steel colossus, of whose operational readiness and readiness the Federal Chancellor has now convinced himself.
It is therefore up to Russia alone to request the turbine, Scholz tweeted in German and English.
The Kremlin promptly countered that the necessary documents for the turbine were still missing.
Scholz got involved in President Putin's game with the photo, perhaps out of concern that his lies might otherwise catch on more widely.
How far does the chancellor want to go?
Will he soon personally deliver the turbine to its place of use or to the Kremlin?
He will only impress Putin with actions that show that Germany is overcoming its dependence on Russian energy much faster than expected.
Where is the special session of the Bundestag to change the Atomic Energy Act for longer terms and to lift the fracking ban?