The FRG urges not to rush and think over the consequences of possible restrictive measures against Russia.
According to Deutsche Wellе, German politicians from different parties urged not to create a link between the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the likely sanctions against Russia related to him, on the one hand, and the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, on the other.
“The energy sector cannot be ignored when it comes to penalties. At the same time, the question of completing the construction of the gas pipeline is not central to the debate on sanctions”, – notes Jurgen Hardt, an expert on foreign policy of the faction of the German-based Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the Bundestag.
“The future of the pipeline and the proven poisoning of a Russian are in no way connected. Finding a balance between interests and values will be a big challenge for Berlin”, – says the chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Markus Söder.
In turn, the first deputy leader of the CDU / CSU faction in the Bundestag Alexander Dobrindt believes that it would be unreasonable for Germany to refuse to complete the Nord Stream -2 project because of the Navalny case. At the same time, he admitted that the poisoning of the Russian oppositionist “would significantly complicate relations between Europe and Russia”.