Merkel’s View of Nord Stream 2 Unchanged Amid US Push for Coalition Against Project, Berlin Says

© Sputnik / Alexey VitvitskyEUROPE13:30 GMT 25.09.2020Get short URL9450Subscribe

BERLIN (Sputnik) – There are no changes to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s assessment of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, deputy spokeswoman for the German government, Martina Fietz, said Friday.

“I cannot say that there are any new developments today. We have repeatedly given full account on this topic,” the deputy spokeswoman said, adding there were no disagreements between Merkel and German ministers.

US State Secretary Mike Pompeo told Germany’s Bild on Monday that his country is building a coalition to prevent the Russian-led project from being completed. The official also expressed a desire to see Germany adopt the US position on Nord Stream 2 either because of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny or the “real security implications” of dependence on Russian gas.

Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier spoke against making the pipeline’s fate contingent on the situation around Navalny, who had been treated in Berlin’s Charite hospital after the alleged exposure to a nerve agent from the Novichok group.

Nord Stream 2 is a $10.5 billion joint venture between Russia’s Gazprom, Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall, Austria’s OMV, France’s Engie, and UK/Dutch energy conglomerate Royal Dutch Shell. The 1,230 km pipeline, whose construction was nearly completed late last year before the US introduced sanctions against a key contractor, envisions doubling the existing 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year capacity of the Nord Stream network. Once completed, it will provide Germany with gas supplies, and turn the central European nation into a major energy hub.