For 27 years Peter Altmaier worked as a member of parliament, state secretary or minister. He spoke to the RND about how unusual the first day of political freedom was, how he assesses Putin and what will become of Nord Stream 2.
The former Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) has no withdrawal symptoms in retirement after 27 years in politics. Only the first day after taking office was unusual, he told the editorial network Germany (RND/Saturday). “I woke up promptly at 5:30 a.m., showered and got dressed. Then I realized that there is no chauffeur outside and no one is waiting in the Ministry. I was taken aback for a moment, then I had to laugh heartily.” But then he quickly realized: “Now I was free again, and it was great.”
He has always had two retreats in his life: his books, now around 6500, and his garden in Saarland. He is at peace with himself: “If you have been a member of parliament, state secretary and minister for 27 years, it is good not to always think about day-to-day politics, even if you sometimes really suffer.”
With a view to the Ukraine war that has been raging for 164 days, Altmaier said that he had early on assessed Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin as the greatest security risk for Europe. “Above all, it is the greatest threat to political stability in Europe. And not just since the attack on Ukraine, but since the intervention in Georgia, the intervention in Syria and the annexation of Crimea,” Altmaier told the editorial network Germany (RND/Saturday) when asked what Putin meant to him is.
There were several reasons why the federal government did not distance itself further. “Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, it has been clear what Putin thinks.” But NATO’s participation in the war was just as out of the question then as it is today. The crucial question was whether there could be a negotiated solution that would allow Putin to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. “As is well known, that failed.”
Altmaier added: “What other options would the West have had to increase security? turn off the gas tap? That would have accelerated the escalation of the war in Ukraine. Other sanctions? They are certainly required now, but they would not have affected Russia’s ability to wage war.”
According to Altmaier, Putin also attacked Ukraine without the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline going into operation. “I am convinced that it will never be approved again.” Putin does not care that investments in the tens of billions are lost for Russia.
In order to diversify gas procurement, Altmaier was the first minister in 2019 to create the conditions for the construction of LNG terminals. “But no company was willing to book LNG capacities for gas from the USA or Qatar on a binding basis at the time because the costs were significantly higher than the price for Russian pipeline gas.”
