a Threat by Washington to impose sanctions on the European partners “Gazprom”, engaged in the construction of the pipeline “Nord stream-2”, provoked very strong reaction from Russia’s main ally in this project — Germany. Berlin has threatened to impose retaliatory restrictions on trade relations with the United States and invited to join other members of the EU.
a Sharp response of Germany is clear: Washington intends to lay claim not only to private investors who invest money in the creation of the gas pipeline, and the German Federal services. Moscow is the political confrontation between the two NATO allies while watching from the side, but intends in any case to complete the laying of the pipeline.
Still unfinished, the Russian pipeline SP-2 may completely upset the political and economic relations of New and Old world. According to Bloomberg, Germany, financial institutions which are the main foreign sponsors of the project, develop responses on a case if Washington will impose new sanctions against the pipeline. Moreover, Berlin sees in US resistance to the construction of the pipeline and the danger to other European States therefore intends to propose to the United States a collective response on behalf of the European Union.
the Aggression of the USA against the “Nord stream-2” was evident in the early construction of the pipeline. When the project was nearing completion, the protest gestures Washington has escalated, sanctions that at first the Americans were only imposed on its Russian participants, extended to foreign partners of “Gazprom”, which was also threatened with disconnection from lending to international banks and failure in new contracts in the United States. In addition, Donald trump has accused Berlin in arrears on its contributions to NATO of $1 trillion, saying it would be better if the Germans had invested in the allied military Alliance than was spent on the Russian pipeline.
As you know, the American sanctions have already had an effect. In March the Swiss contractor Allseas, undertake the laying of the offshore section of the SP-2, refused to participate in the laying of pipes, and Gazprom was forced to transfer in the Baltic sea own small vessels, able to complete the construction, and then change their legal form of ownership in favor of companies that U.S. sanctions would not have time to spread.
Berlin is clearly interested in the flow of Russian gas, tried to maneuver between Moscow and Washington in attempts not to spoil relations with anyone. Thus, the Federal network Agency of Germany on the one hand liberated the gas pipeline “Nord stream – 1” (already existing e��sports pipeline from Russia to Europe) of the basic provisions of the EU Gas Directive (providing capacity of the pipe to third-party suppliers), but, on the other hand, relying on the legal details, retained such obstacles to SP-2. Washington this position is not satisfied. The Americans threatened to impose sanctions not only against private investors, but also against the government agencies of Germany.
it got to the point that disagreements about SP-2 resulted in a full-fledged scandal that occurred between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald trump. As reported by sources on both sides, during their recent telephone conversation on the subject of Russian gas pipeline “there is hot disagreement” and the conversation was conducted “high tones”, which eventually led to the “casting of tubes” without the mandatory words of farewell.
the Current differences between Berlin and Washington threatened to lead to more aggravation in the relations of the two countries in both political and economic sphere. According to the head of the Bundestag Committee on Economics and energy, Klaus Ernst, to the government of Germany and other EU countries, consider the response to US plans to expand sanctions against the SP-2 and to impose restrictions against American companies – in particular, to impose additional taxes on the supply of liquefied gas from the US.
“From the point of view of the economy, Europe is interested in Russian raw materials and our market. Germany, which is the centre of the economic system of the European Union, are ready in any ways to contribute to the completion of the project, so the “Nord stream-2” will be completed. The U.S. position on the Russian gas pipeline has nothing to do with the economy: Washington pursues purely political goals.
For Moscow the situation is beneficial. Mutual claims of Germany and the United States, the reason for which is the “Nord stream – 2″, able to restore the dialogue between Moscow and Berlin in a constructive way and to give new life to the idea of a weakening of the North Atlantic Alliance”, — said the head of IAC “Alpari” Alexander Razuvaev.
