When people talk about a turning point everywhere, it is not without consequences, even in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Minister-President Manuela Schwesig announced on Monday morning that since this turning point will change fundamental things, this also applies to the relations between the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Russia.

Matthias Wysuwa

Political correspondent for northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.

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They have "put emphasis on dialogue and exchange with Russia in business, science, culture and between young people from both countries," she writes.

The current development is all the more painful.

"Like many others who have been committed to good cooperation with Russia, I am deeply disappointed and appalled." And that should now also have consequences for the country's controversial climate foundation - the one equipped with money from Nord Stream 2 , should also secure the completion of the pipeline.

These are difficult times for Schwesig.

The social democrat has to recover from an operation in these weeks and is not on duty, that was announced.

But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the pressure on her and her state government increased.

After all, Schwerin had stuck with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project for a long time and had a reputation for being overly mild when it came to Russia.

Not to mention the country's climate foundation, which had endowed the country with 200,000 euros and Nord Stream 2 with 20 million.

Silly under pressure

Things couldn't go on like this after the Russian invasion, and Schwerin quickly made that clear.

The first valves were opened to relieve pressure.

The state government has criticized Russia's attack and supported the federal government's decision to suspend Nord Stream 2's certification until further notice.

But that was obviously not enough, the pressure remained high.

When Schwesig tweeted a photo of the state parliament illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag on Friday evening, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, accused her of hypocrisy.

The accusation was spread thousands of times.

On Sunday, Melnyk sat in the Bundestag and received standing applause from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) before the government statement.

On Tuesday there is to be a special session of the state parliament on the Russian attack and the consequences for the country.

Well, on Monday morning, Manuela Schwesig made a personal statement to relieve the pressure.

In a lengthy statement circulated on social media, Schwesig wrote: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a brutal attack on a neighboring country, a clear violation of international law and unjustifiable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin bears sole responsibility for this.” She thanks Scholz for his clear words in his government statement and promises him support.

She had already called on former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) on Sunday to end his "engagement in Russian energy companies" in order to support the efforts of the federal government.

Then the prime minister goes into the country's relations with Russia and the consequences of Moscow's behavior for this: all activities of the state government towards Russia would be stopped.

There should be “no more Russia Days in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the foreseeable future”.

The first edition of the economic meeting took place in 2014, despite the Russian annexation of Crimea.

One of the speakers was the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) and Prime Minister was Erwin Sellering.

He is now chairman of the climate foundation, which, as Schwesig writes, is not only supposed to put its work on hold, but also "to initiate a dissolution of the foundation within the narrow legal possibilities".

"It is also being examined whether it is legally possible to use the foundation funds made available by Nord Stream for humanitarian purposes," writes Schwesig.

And because climate protection is still a "goal of paramount importance", the state government will provide 20 million euros from its own funds.

Schwesig also asks the "German-Russian Partnership" association, also managed by Sellering,

So Schwesig's whole declaration is a radical departure from the previous course in Schwerin, a turning point in the Northeast as well.

She says nothing new about the future of Nord Stream 2, so far the certification has only been suspended.

In return, she resists representations by the state government as "Putin friends" or "Putin understanders".

"That's nonsense," she writes.

"I have never had a conversation with President Putin or supported his actions against Ukraine." And so she ends by demanding "that Putin immediately stop the war and withdraw from Ukraine".