Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Bild:

“Of course, everyone knows the direct link between Mr Schröder and Gazprom but I think the SPD’s view on Nord Stream goes back to Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik and a view that cross-border commerce can help to build a rapprochement between estranged states. This is a noble position to hold, but in my many dealings with Vladimir Putin over the years, I’m afraid it is a little naive. President Putin wants to restore Russian greatness, and that means keeping his sphere of influence in central and eastern Europe. The tool he has to leverage his position is Russian energy. I also doubt whether SPD support for Nord Stream 2 accurately translates Brandt’s approach into the 21st century. If you want to bring about change through trade today, it is surely accomplished by increasing commerce between small and medium-sized businesses, not by buying a highly valuable energy source from Russia’s state-run monopoly.”