"Reproaches look absurd": the British Parliament accused Germany of treason because of the "Nord Stream - 2"

British MP Daniel Kavchinski said Germany had “betrayed Europe” by collaborating with Russia and supporting the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. 

So he spoke in conversation with the Daily Express, commenting on the new US bill, which implies the expansion of sanctions on the pipeline.

“We have a duty to our NATO allies, especially those who are at the forefront in Eastern Europe - we are obliged to regain control of our foreign policy, to promote the American sanctions regime and to ensure that Nord Stream 2 never completed, ”said the politician.

He added that the "fate of many countries" depends on it, so now that Britain has left the EU, it is "time to take active action and help bury this project forever."

“It is difficult to overestimate the scale of betrayal that involves the construction of this pipeline. Germany is a member of NATO committed, at least on paper, to protecting the continent from possible interference and attempts to influence Russia, ”concluded Kavchinski.

He also said that the Federal Republic of Germany, being one of the most important EU members, is becoming more susceptible to Russian influence, “tying” its industrial power to the Russian energy network.

Andrei Kortunov, director general of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with RT that the statements of the British parliamentarian do not fully reflect the realities existing in Europe.

The expert explained that for many years Britain was a “leader in a sense” of that group of countries in the EU that were skeptical of Russia and restrained the development of relations between Moscow and Brussels. However, Britain’s exit from the European Union weakened the group of Russian critics in the union.

“Appeals to NATO in this case are not entirely correct, because after all, the issue of European energy policy does not apply to NATO in any way. Reproaches to Germany for betraying the interests of Europe look absurd, because there is no country in Europe that would consistently and purposefully uphold European unity and that would already have done and continues to do as much for the EU as Germany did, ”said Kortunov.

Nord Stream 2 represents two strands of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the Russian coast in the Baltic Sea to Germany. The United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas in the EU, is actively advocating the cessation of construction, arguing that the project allegedly poses a threat to Europe’s energy security and makes Germany too dependent on Russian gas. Also, several European countries, including Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, are in favor of stopping construction.

Recall, last week, a bill was introduced in the US Senate that provided for new sanctions against the pipeline. As Bloomberg reported with reference to the draft document, measures will be applied to companies providing "underwriting, insurance or reinsurance services" to vessels operating on the pipeline, as well as to companies providing services for the equipment and retrofitting of ships. In addition, sanctions will threaten the ports that will be hosted by the vessels involved in the construction of the gas pipeline - we are talking about the Russian pipe layers Fortuna and Academic Chersky.

• © Tom Brenner / Reuters

In late December, US President Donald Trump approved the country's defense budget for the new fiscal year. The document, in particular, presupposes sanctions against the Russian pipelines “Nord Stream - 2” and “Turkish Stream”. In particular, we are talking about the introduction of restrictive measures in relation to vessels that lay pipes at a depth of more than 100 feet (30 meters), as well as companies that sell or rent such vessels.

In turn, Berlin criticizes sanctions against the gas pipeline, noting that the project is commercial, not political. This was stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in early January.

“This is an economic project. Therefore, we consider it correct. To those who say that we are falling under one-sided dependence, I can say that Germany and other countries that benefit from the Nord Stream are interested in diversifying gas supplies, ”the chancellor said.

In late May, Politico, citing a senior source in the US administration, reported that Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump had an argument over the telephone over the construction of Nord Stream 2. There was also disagreement between the leaders on such topics as NATO, relations with China, and a number of other foreign policy issues.

Alexander Kamkin, a leading researcher at the Center for German Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, recalled that Germany is interested in completing the construction of the pipeline for several reasons.

“According to Nord Stream 2, of course, Germany is the main beneficiary, in addition to Russia, because it needs natural gas. Firstly, they are gradually phasing out atomic energy. Secondly, the rejection of coal ... Accordingly, we need an inexpensive new energy source. Plus, gas is not only fuel for power plants, it is also a valuable resource for the chemical industry, ”he explained.