German right-wing leader Alice Weidel has criticised EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen for vowing to permanently disable the Nord Stream pipelines.
Last week, Von der Leyen said that work had begun on an 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia which would target the gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea.
The pipelines were damaged in September 2022 due to underwater explosions, with investigative reporting uncovering that the perpetrators were Ukrainian intelligence and military officials.
Nord Stream 1 for years shipped cheap Russian gas to Europe—particularly its biggest economy, Germany. Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021, but never went into operation as Germany scrapped the project after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany has suffered the consequences of failed energy policies in recent years, including the phasing out of Russian gas as well as the shutting down of all the country’s nuclear reactors, and this has resulted in soaring energy bills for companies and households alike.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the largest German opposition party, the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), tweeted on Monday, May 19th that the European Commission’s planned sanctions would harm German interests. She called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to “talk some sense” into Ursula von der Leyen.
The AfD has always been in favour of reinstating the pipelines and resuming gas supplies from Russia, justifying its demand with the massive increase in energy costs.
