Yes, he sold out after he left office and was criticized for it heavily. Earlier he stood up to the US criticizing the second Iraq war.
(Most of Europe, including Britain, got gas via Nordstream and its distribution network. France and The Netherlands also owned part of it but are never criticized.)
>Yes, he sold out after he left office and was criticized for it heavily.
No I'm fairly certain he sold out in office and then reaped the rewards upon leaving.
>Earlier he stood up to the US criticizing the second Iraq war.
Which is ultimately good but largely unrelated.
>Most of Europe, including Britain, got gas via Nordstream and its distribution network.
Most of Europe is easily divided and Russia made it worthwhile for those involved.
At the end of the day tho I believe from Russia's end it was about taking away bargaining power and influence from various eastern european countries. A pricing map for their gas showed it's wielded as a political pressuring tool. There was no capacity limit to existing pipelines nevertheless when european countries got cold feet Russia was happy to turn down the tap and blame it on north stream's shutdown despite every other avenue being wide open.
>France and The Netherlands also owned part of it but are never criticized.)
Their companies being involved should be duly criticized perhaps. But let's be honest. A head of state so blatantly doing something like that is an easy thing to notice and target. Especially when related policy decisions went well beyond north stream.
You mean Gerhard Schröder? Didn't he end up on the board of Gazprom as a sellout?