Ukraine: Berlin announces that sanctions against Russia will target Nord Stream 2
The commissioning of the gas pipeline remains blocked by the German energy regulator, for legal reasons.
John MacDougallAFP/Archivos
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Will the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 be part of possible sanctions against Russia in the event of an attack by Moscow on Ukraine?
The German Foreign Minister wanted to clarify her country's position on Thursday.
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In front of the Bundestag, Annalena Baerbock clarified the position of the German government on
the German-Russian gas pipeline
.
“
We are working with our allies on a strong sanctions package that covers several aspects, including Nord Stream
2
,” the environmentalist foreign minister said.
The head of diplomacy like her party have always criticized the project for geopolitical and energy reasons, and pleaded for greater firmness with regard to Moscow, recalls our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
. The position of the Social Democrats, also members of the coalition government, was on the other hand less clear. The German press has in recent days often headlined the SPD's "
Russian problem
", evoking positions deemed too conciliatory by Social Democratic leaders with regard to Moscow. This also concerned the gas pipeline.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz initially took on board Angela Merkel's traditional statements about a project first presented as a private investment by the companies that support it.
Olaf Scholz has since changed his position and now only rules out sanctions against Russia in the event of an aggression against Ukraine hitting Nord Stream 2.
"
As long as we talk, we don't shoot
"
This gas pipeline, which is to bring Russian gas to Germany and Europe via the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine, has been completed.
But its commissioning is currently blocked by the German energy regulator, for legal reasons.
On the current tensions around Ukraine, Annalena Baerbock nevertheless insisted on the immediate need to focus on the negotiations in progress to try to obtain a de-escalation from Moscow, suspected of preparing an invasion.
"
As long as we talk, we don't shoot
," she said from the rostrum of the Chamber of Deputies.
Berlin, however, faces a lot of criticism for its position deemed too flexible with Moscow.
The German government refuses to deliver weapons to Kiev, unlike the United States or the United Kingdom, and it recently had to dismiss the head of its national navy, who had supported the Russian position.
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