The United States and Germany have reached an agreement on the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas project. If Moscow uses the gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany to exert political pressure, the country risks sanctions.
“Should Russia try to use energy as a weapon or take further aggressive actions against Ukraine, Germany will take action itself and push for sanctions at the European level,” US Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told Congress. According to Nuland, the two countries will provide details later this evening.
According to the American newspaper The Washington Post the US allows the construction to go ahead in exchange for a German investment in climate and environmental measures in Ukraine.
Tricky point
Nord Stream 2, the gas pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea, is a thorny point between the Americans and the Germans. US President Biden and German Chancellor Merkel recently openly disagreed over the nearly completed project. Washington strongly opposes the gas project and has repeatedly threatened sanctions against investors and companies involved in its construction.
According to the US, the pipeline will make Europe too dependent on Russian gas. As a result, Russia could exert political pressure through the gas supply in issues concerning Ukraine and Poland, for example. Germany sees Nord Stream 2 mainly as an economic project.
The Russian government said last month that the gas pipeline, which has been in the works for years, will be completed by the end of this year.
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