Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized the US position on Nord Stream 2, rejecting Washington’s argument that the pipeline was almost completely ready, the German newspaper Tagesspiegel writes.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden, after negotiations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, admitted that there were disagreements with Germany on the construction of the gas pipeline and noted that at the time of his inauguration, additional sanctions “did not make sense” due to the fact that the pipeline was almost completed, and it made sense to discuss with Merkel how to prevent the pipeline from being used as a tool of “blackmail” by Russia.
According to the newspaper, Sikorsky, who is the head of the EU-US delegation to the European Parliament, in an interview with journalists in Washington, confirmed the State Department’s statements that the sanctions do not work, and therefore it is preferable to bet on a “reset” in relations with Germany.
Sikorsky himself expressed doubts about the correctness of this position. “Who knows what would have happened if they (the sanctions) had been left in effect until September, when the Germans would choose a new government,” the Polish politician said, as the newspaper writes, adding that now the issue around the gas pipeline has been “resolved.”
Sikorsky also sharply criticized Berlin’s position, noting, the newspaper writes, that Germany “has decided to put its own economic benefit over the geopolitical interests of the entire EU and especially over the security interests of Central and Eastern Europe.”
Earlier, the media reported that agreements were reached between the United States and Germany on the Nord Stream 2 project. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, wrote that the United States and Germany could announce an agreement on Wednesday. US Republican Senator Ted Cruz believes that a possible agreement between Washington and Berlin on the project will be a disaster for the United States and a geopolitical victory for Russia.
The North Stream 2 project, which will run from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany, is actively opposed by the United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas to the EU, as well as Ukraine and a number of European countries. Washington imposed sanctions on the gas pipeline in December 2019. The Russian Federation has repeatedly called to stop mentioning Nord Stream 2 in the context of any politicization, since it is a commercial project that is beneficial to both Russia and the European Union. The Federal Republic of Germany supports the completion of the gas pipeline and rejects the unilateral extraterritorial sanctions of the United States.
Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, said it expects to finish laying the pipeline at the end of August.