Berlin’s push for Nord Stream 2 contributed to Ukraine war, German minister says

Germany’s Justice Minister Marco Buschmann acknowledged that Germany bears responsibility for the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine because it backed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Politico reported.

“Knowing what we do today, the decision to pursue Nord Stream 2 following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 was Germany’s contribution to the outbreak of the war in Ukraine,” he said at addressing a G7 justice ministers meeting in Berlin on Tuesday.

He added that it is Germany’s duty to “confront this truth directly” and “draw the right conclusions” from it.

A version of Buschmann’s quote was also tweeted by the justice ministry.

Wir stehen fest an der Seite der 🇺🇦. Aber wir müssen auch deutlich sagen: Das Festhalten an #Nordstream2 war als Antwort auf die Annexion der Krim aus heutiger Sicht der deutsche Beitrag zum Ausbruch des Krieges, so Bundesjustizminister @MarcoBuschmann bei #G7Justice. pic.twitter.com/LfiBTDouxT

— Bundesministerium der Justiz (@bmj_bund) November 29, 2022