“Long-term peace between Germany and Russia, between Europe and Russia is the only chance for all of us to build a safe space on European territory in order to ensure a happy future for our children and grandchildren.

There is no other option, "RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

He noted that "it is necessary to build a free trade space from Lisbon to Vladivostok and create a voluntary community of sovereign states."

Earlier, the head of the committee on economics and energy of the German Bundestag, Klaus Ernst, assessed the situation around the Nord Stream 2.