The German authorities until the last moment tried to stop the entry into force of US sanctions against Nord Stream-2. On Sunday, December 22, reported the newspaper Bild.
It is noted that a few hours before the signing by the US President Donald Trump of the military budget for fiscal year 2020, which provides for sanctions on Nord Stream-2 and the Turkish Stream, the German Foreign Ministry sent a letter to representatives of the US government.
The message emphasized that Russia and Ukraine agreed on gas transit from January 1, 2020, and thus measures against Nord Stream-2 become inappropriate.
“An agreement on future gas transit was signed an hour ago. The results will be presented officially tomorrow at 14.00,” the letter said.
Later, the German Foreign Ministry specified that “framework agreements” were reached on December 20, and “a specific transit agreement should follow until the end of the year.”
The newspaper also claims that US sanctions “put Ukraine in a much more favorable position with respect to Russia” and Gazprom’s readiness to pay $ 2.9 billion in debt was allegedly connected with Washington’s restrictive measures.
“Without sanctions, they (Gazprom) would never have agreed to implement a verdict,” a Bild source said.