Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said on the air of Polish Radio that the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could still be stopped.

“This is quite possible, because this project has not been completed, but the most important thing in this is thinking that, since Russia is not a reliable partner in matters of such fundamental European values ​​as human rights and civil society, it is also not can be a reliable partner in economic terms, ”the diplomat said.

According to him, now in Germany began "belated debate among the German elite" about this energy project.

“It should be noted with satisfaction that, in the end, rational, common-sense arguments may sound in this debate, because the position of Poland from the very beginning of the construction of this gas pipeline is unambiguous,” Rau said.

According to him, the construction of Nord Stream 2, on the one hand, “introduces a split between the European countries, and on the other hand, makes the economy of our part of Europe dependent on Russia, thereby providing Russia with a source of financing so hostile to the EU. foreign policy ".

He also touched upon the issue of a fine that the Polish Office for the Protection of Competition and Consumers (UOKiK) imposed on Gazprom for the construction of Nord Stream 2.

According to Rau, the possibility of payment by the Russian company will depend on decisive action during the proceedings.

At the same time, he noted that Warsaw has "extensive evidence" in this case.

  • Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau

  • globallookpress.com

  • © Grzegorz Michałowski

As a reminder, on October 7, the antimonopoly authority demanded to terminate loan agreements for the Nord Stream 2 project, which were concluded by Nord Stream 2 AG, Gazprom and European investors OMV, Wintershall Dea, Engie, Shell and Uniper.

Warsaw is convinced that the project participants should have previously obtained the consent of UOKiK for its implementation.

UOKiK has fined companies equal to 10% of their annual turnover.

Thus, the department wants to receive 29 billion zlotys ($ 7.6 billion) from Gazprom, and 234 million zlotys ($ 61 million) from its European partners.

Gazprom announced its disagreement with the decision of the Polish regulator and intends to appeal it.

“UOKiK's decision violates the principles of lawfulness, proportionality and fair trial,” the company said.

Gazprom also noted that the size of the fine indicates a desire by any means to oppose the construction of Nord Stream 2.

In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the decision of the Polish regulator "is regrettable."

“Obviously, we are talking about another politically motivated attempt to put pressure on the Russian gas exporter, which has been reliably supplying natural gas to European consumers for many years,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated at a briefing on Thursday.

Warsaw against

It is worth noting that Poland is actively opposing the construction of Nord Stream 2.

The republican authorities have repeatedly called on the FRG to abandon this project.

For example, in June this year, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project should not be implemented, as it allegedly makes Europe dependent on one supplier - Gazprom.

In August, the Prime Minister of the republic, Mateusz Morawiecki, again criticized Nord Stream 2, calling it dangerous.

According to the diplomat, the gas pipeline will undermine Ukraine's position as a transit country, which could increase Moscow's influence on Kiev.

Warsaw's position on Nord Stream 2 fully coincides with the opinion of Washington, which openly declares that the construction of a gas pipeline is undesirable.

For example, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Nord Stream 2 an instrument of the Russian Federation for expanding Europe's dependence on Russian energy supplies.

Recall that at the end of December 2019, the US authorities imposed sanctions against companies participating in the project, which caused the completion of construction to be postponed indefinitely.

In the Russian Federation, the actions of the United States are called unfair competition.

“We believe that such aspirations are nothing more than a manifestation of unfair competition and actions that are contrary to international law,” said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian President.

Let us explain that in recent years the United States has begun to actively promote its own liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European market and, as political scientists state, is directly interested in the fact that Nord Stream 2 is not completed.

At the same time, the Federal Republic of Germany has repeatedly rejected the claims of the United States, noting that Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively economic project.

The discussion around the construction of the gas pipeline flared up in Europe with renewed vigor after the story with blogger Alexei Navalny.

In August, Navalny was rushed to the Omsk hospital after he fell ill on board a plane flying from Tomsk to Moscow.

Russian doctors have not established the presence of poisons in his body.

A few days after his hospitalization, Navalny was taken to the German clinic Charite.

  • Pipe-laying of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

  • © Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt

The FRG authorities said that, according to their information, the blogger was allegedly poisoned with a substance from the Novichok group.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry never received adequate answers from Berlin to its inquiries on the situation with Navalny.

Poland took advantage of the aggravation of relations between the Russian Federation and the EU, which intensified its attacks on Nord Stream 2.

So, on September 8, Polish Prime Minister Moravetsky said that what happened to Navalny "should be the last bell for Germany."

The head of the Polish government believes that very serious sanctions should be imposed against the Russian Federation.

He also noted that Poland is trying to increase pressure on Germany to stop the construction of the gas pipeline.

On September 14, Moravetsky called on the FRG to hand over the Nord Stream 2 project “to the archive”.

"Does not harm Polish interests"

According to the expert of the Financial University under the Russian government, Igor Yushkov, Poland's rhetoric is explained solely by political considerations.

“Poland believes that it is the main ally of the United States in Europe, therefore it demonstrates its loyalty in this way.

From an economic point of view, Warsaw is beneficial to Nord Stream 2, because thanks to it, surpluses are formed on the German market, which will allow Poland to buy gas cheaply, "the analyst said in an interview with RT.

According to him, the United States is using Poland against its interests in order to squeeze Russia out of the European gas market and make "a place for American LNG" there.

A similar point of view is shared by Stanislav Mitrakhovich, a leading expert of the National Energy Security Fund, lecturer at the Financial University under the Russian government.

“From an economic point of view, Nord Stream 2 does not harm Polish interests.

The Polish Foreign Ministry follows political and ideological guidelines that do not correspond to the real interests of Warsaw as a subject of the economic process, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

Political analysts call the accusations of Poland and the United States of increasing EU dependence on Russian gas after the potential commissioning of Nord Stream 2 as unfounded.

“Nord Stream 2 will carry the same Russian gas that is now passing through Ukraine.

Another delivery route will just appear.

Accordingly, this project cannot increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas, ”Yushkov said.

According to him, Poland's appeal to human rights issues when discussing Nord Stream 2 looks far-fetched.

“This is populism and excuses.

Over the past 50 years of Russian gas supplies to Europe, there have been no claims to civil rights.

Even during the Soviet era.

Interestingly, Poland buys gas from Qatar or oil from Saudi Arabia, where the human rights situation is, to put it mildly, not in the best way.

But it doesn't bother them, ”the analyst says.

At the same time, Igor Yushkov believes that Poland is unlikely to be able to prevent the construction of Nord Stream 2, and its decision to recover a fine from Gazprom will be appealed in court.

“The Polish side has little chance in this case.

When the case comes to the EU court, this story will fall apart and Gazprom will not pay anything, ”the analyst is sure.

As for the possible EU sanctions in the Navalny case, they are likely to be personal in nature and are unlikely to affect Nord Stream 2, Yushkov suggested.

Stanislav Mitrakhovich also says that Nord Stream 2 is likely to be completed, but the terms of its commissioning may be shifted again.

“In Germany, there is a strong core of supporters of the project, but there are also opponents to whom the story with Navalny gives arguments to be heard locally.

One of the opponents of the project is the candidate for the post of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who earlier said that the Russian project should be frozen for two years.

However, he did not speak about complete closure.

Therefore, most likely, Nord Stream 2 will be completed, but the question of the timing remains open, ”the analyst concluded.