Jurgen Trittin, a member of the Bundestag and representative of the Greens on foreign policy, called the threat of US sanctions against German companies for supporting the construction of Nord Stream 2 "a declaration of economic war".

“The interference with the sovereignty of Germany and the European Union has reached an unprecedented level of aggressiveness, which should not go unanswered,” Trittin told DPA.

According to the deputy, the threat of the republican senators to the operator of the port of Mukran in the city of Sassnitz, which serves the ships that are involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2, is illegal both under European and international law.

"The bad practice of American threatening letters to German companies is spreading," Trittin said. According to him, the companies participating in the project need protection from the "Washington methods of the Wild West."

In addition, Trittin called on the German federal government to stop “surreptitiously” against the United States.

“Germany and the EU must find a strong response to this behavior from the US. It may include the threat of imposing its own sanctions, in particular with regard to the import of shale gas from the United States, ”he said.

"Undeclared Economic War"

We will remind that earlier the American senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Ron Johnson sent a letter to the operator of the German port of Mukran demanding to stop work to support the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. A copy of the message was posted on Cruise's official website. In the document, the senators threaten negative consequences if the company does not "immediately" stop logistical support for the project. The port supplies pipes to the Russian ships Fortuna and Akademik Chersky, which are involved in completing the construction of the gas pipeline.

State Secretary of the German Foreign Ministry Niels Annen in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper criticized the content of the letter of the American senators. According to him, "the policy of US extraterritorial sanctions against close partners and allies is a serious encroachment on the national sovereignty" of Germany.

  • Bundestag
  • Reuters
  • © Fabrizio Bensch

In turn, the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, which helps companies from Germany to cooperate with firms in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space, called on the German government and the European Commission to respond to the letter of American senators, to protect German and European companies "from such attacks" from third countries and think about countermeasures.

As Konstantin Voronov, head of the regional problems and conflicts sector of the European Political Studies Department of the IMEMO RAS, noted in an interview with RT, the current "skirmish" of German politicians and businessmen with American senators regarding Nord Stream 2 is "a clear sign of aggravation of relations" between Berlin and Washington.

“The situation has reached great intensity and manifested itself precisely in the issue of building the gas pipeline, since a consensus was reached in Germany that Washington's actions against the project are not economic, but political in nature and are an instrument of a trade war. After all, Russian pipeline gas is cheaper than American LNG and ensures the competitiveness of German goods. If we switch to American liquefied gas, then Germany will lose its advantages and will lose in the economic race, "the expert said in a conversation with RT.

Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University, adheres to a similar position. According to him, Trittin's theses "are fully consistent with the reality and nature of relations between the United States and Germany."

“Washington has long been waging an undeclared economic war against Berlin. And as an episode of this war, we can name the actions of the American side to force German companies to refuse to participate in the construction of Nord Stream 2. Other attempts by the United States to influence Germany, in particular, to limit economic contacts between Germany and Iran, are mixed in with this, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

According to Shapovalov, judging by the policy of Washington, which he is pursuing towards Berlin, the United States "does not consider Germany as its ally and partner in the economic sphere."

“Washington considers Berlin to be its rival, whose positions need to be weakened. This is how one can understand the actions of the United States in relation to Nord Stream 2, because this project will bring tangible benefits and benefits to the German economy, "the expert stated.

"Wait position"

As Vladimir Shapovalov noted, Trittin's words about the inaction of the German leadership in response to the American side's attacks on Nord Stream 2 have an objective basis.

“We see that Berlin's policy regarding American threats is ambiguous: on the one hand, Germany is giving signals that Nord Stream 2 will be completed, and on the other, we do not see any specific mirror measures, but we hear only verbal attacks, ”the expert noted.

  • Mukran port
  • Reuters
  • © Axel Schmidt

At the same time, according to Shapovalov, in the future, Berlin could well impose sanctions against the United States "in response to the unfriendly actions of Washington."

“After all, Germany is a powerful economic entity on which a lot depends in Europe and beyond. And which is also a fairly active economic partner of the United States. It is obvious that Germany has a wide arsenal of means and methods of influencing the American economy, in particular, the ability to limit export-import operations with the United States, to influence its European partners to create difficulties for the implementation of plans to sell American LNG in Europe. Here only the political will of the FRG is needed, ”the analyst said.

As Konstantin Voronov clarified, the German leadership understands that it is necessary to take some action to protect the companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2, but "is afraid to take concrete steps against American colleagues."

“They are afraid to exacerbate the already difficult situation with some kind of drastic actions, since the two countries have close trade and economic ties. Therefore, in the end Berlin took a wait-and-see attitude, ”the expert explained.

At the same time, analysts are confident that Nord Stream 2 will be completed in any case.

“After all, this gas pipeline is of strategic importance for Germany, the countries of Western Europe and for Russia, since it provides serious economic benefits to all parties. The project will be operational in 2021, and this will significantly change the economic situation in Europe. As for the United States, they will continue to try to put pressure on the project participants, but they will not be able to do anything - the gas pipeline will be launched, ”the analyst concluded.