The Chancellor candidate and co-chair of the Greens, Annalena Baerbock, has sharply criticized the agreement between Germany and the US government on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
"This joint declaration is not a solution - especially not for the security of Ukraine," Baerbock told the FAZ.
Washington has lifted the sanctions against the companies involved in the pipeline, but emphasizes that the pipeline has not yet been fully approved in view of the EU requirements for unbundling and access by third parties, said Baerbock.
The operation is far from being secured.
"It is still in German hands," Baerbock told the FAZ
"Wrong climate policy and geostrategic"
Baerbock said: "I still think this pipeline is wrong, for reasons of climate policy, but above all for geostrategic reasons." It was directed against the security of Ukraine and aimed at dividing the European Union.
The Eastern Europeans are “rightly angry” with the federal government “that it is holding on to this pipeline unilaterally”.
"We cannot be indifferent to the security of Ukraine," said the Green politician.
"The most important thing is the protection of the civilian population, for example by supporting mine clearance." That this federal government is not even ready to do so, "I do not understand".
In order for Ukraine to become more independent from Russia, it is essential "that we give massive support to the restructuring of Ukraine's energy supply towards renewable energies."
Baerbock expressed strong doubts about the credibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The Kremlin recently made it very clear that it made its gas deliveries through Ukraine dependent on how Ukraine behaved," said Baerbock.
That is a threat.
She added: "Threats are not the basis for reliable policy."