Süddeutsche Zeitung: Merkel did not see any danger in Nord Stream

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and two coalitions under her leadership fought hard for the construction of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and lobbied for the interests of Gazprom, secret documents said that the German Ministry of Economics provided to Süddeutsche Zeitung by court order.

"For seven years, two large coalitions were declaring this gas pipeline a "private economic project,” although they were fighting with all their might for it. For seven years they would brush aside their partners' doubts like annoying flies. Nothing could make the Germans doubt the benign picture that Nord Stream 2 AG created for them,” the document says with reference to various internal memos, embassy reports and memos.

Angela Merkel did not see a threat in the Russian gas pipeline, the publication said. The newspaper cited a memo from the German Ministry of Economics dated from June 2014, which said that Germany would depend on gas imports from Russia "in the foreseeable future” and it would be impossible to refuse from Russian gas imports for years and decades.

Merkel decided to increase Berlin's energy dependence on Moscow even further. According to internal documents, having learned in 2015 of Gazprom's plans to build a new gas pipeline with the participation of European firms, she gave instructions to support the project within the government because it would strengthen Germany's role as a European gas hub. Merkel also ordered not to release any public comments about it to avoid strong opposition.

Before the withdrawal of the report that opened the final way for the commissioning of Nord Stream 2 in February 2022, Germany's sitting Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also trying to "clear the way” for the Russian gas pipeline, the newspaper wrote.

Biden made big concessions to Merkel for Nord Stream 2

In turn, US President Joe Biden "made big concessions” to the German government regarding the construction of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the Süddeutsche Zeitung also reports.

The publication disclosed many documents concerning contacts between Germany and the United States regarding the gas pipeline. Former US President Donald Trump was strongly opposed to the construction of Nord Stream 2 and imposed sanctions against it, the German publication said.

However, President Biden made major concessions to the German government, a cable sent from the German embassy in Washington to Berlin said.

In the summer of 2021, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent high-ranking officials to the United States. The officials pledged to prevent Russia from using energy supplies as a weapon.