The matter is serious, so Manuela Schwesig (SPD) spoke up despite being on sick leave.

The Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania did not say much more on Twitter on Tuesday evening than her deputy Simone Oldenburg (left) before after the cabinet meeting.

She views this conflict with great concern, the Russian government has broken international law.

Matthias Wysuwa

Political correspondent for northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.

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Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has always said clearly that in the event of an invasion of Ukraine all options are on the table, and the state government has supported this position.

And now the federal government has decided to stop the certification of Nord Stream 2 “until further notice”, and the state government also supports this decision.

Schwesig wrote: "We hope that we can find a diplomatic solution."

Schwerin has long been criticized for supporting the pipeline project.

The tubes land in Lubmin in Western Pomerania, and because it is an economic project and gas is a necessary bridging technology for the energy transition, Schwesig and her government stuck to the pipeline even after Russian soldiers marched to the border with Ukraine.

Moscow's actions are now forcing the state government to realign itself.

Apparently that went smoothly.

It will be exciting when it becomes clear what "until further notice" means - and how Schwerin will deal with the "Climate and Environmental Foundation MV".

It was founded with 200,000 euros from the state and 20 million euros from Nord Stream 2 AG.

And above all with the possibility of founding an economical business

to ensure the completion of the pipeline.

Schwesig said her government had asked the foundation to rest its work.

It is not even clear what exactly this work consisted of for the now formally completed pipeline.

The CDU, FDP and Greens also want to know that, they have made small inquiries to the government.

Of course, the CDU approved the establishment of the foundation in the state parliament last January, at that time still as a junior partner of the SPD.

"From that day on we were outside the information chain," says CDU parliamentary group leader Franz-Robert Liskow today.

"From then on, we can't take any responsibility."

So it is unclear what exactly the commercial business has done - and also who the managing director is, for whom Nord Stream 2 AG had the right to propose according to the articles of association.

In the "Schweriner Volkszeitung" the former prime minister, Schwesig sponsor and chairman of the foundation Erwin Sellering said that everything that was necessary for the pipeline had been done.

"If a welder was missing, we got a welder." He did not confirm reports that a ship had been bought, but said that small and medium-sized companies had been helped to do their work.

"Good advice, don't just continue now"

When asked by the FAZ, Sellering wrote about the current situation that, in the opinion of the foundation's board of directors, all institutions and organizations "that have previously worked well together with Russian partners are well advised not to simply continue as if nothing had happened".

What is needed is a clear statement that this behavior on the part of Russia is not tolerable.

"Convinced by Chancellor Scholz's reaction that he has very clearly put Nord Stream 2 on the table as a possible sanction, but has not yet announced the 'off'." That leaves "leeway for Russia to give in at the last second".

And: The board alone decides on the 20 million euros.

Next week there will be a special session of the state parliament on the subject.

But times are not only politically turbulent for Schwesig, but also legally.

According to a decision by the Hamburg district court, she has no right to injunctive relief against the Hamburg CDU state chairman Christoph Ploß.

His statement was an "evaluative exaggeration, but not a literal quote".

Ploß had said in a television program: "Then you have other people in the SPD leadership like Manuela Schwesig, who says clearly: 'These violations of international law, they don't interest me.

The main thing is that the pipeline goes into operation.'

She said that quite clearly.” The State Chancellery said it would review the court's decision.