BERLIN (Sputnik) – The German government has called upon U.S. congressmen not to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, insisting that doing so will “damage transatlantic unity”, Axios has reported, citing newly obtained documents.
“U.S. Sanctions targeting Nord Stream 2 would undermine the commitment given to Germany in the Joint Statement, weaken the credibility of the U.S. government, and endanger the achievements of the Joint Statement, including the provisions supporting Ukraine”, the German “non-paper” marked as “classified” said.
The document refers to the Joint Statement of the United States and Germany on Support for Ukraine and European Energy Security which was agreed upon by President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 21 July.
The deal came in the aftermath of Biden’s decision to waive sanctions on the company in charge of Nord Stream 2. Under the Joint Statement, Germany vowed to take action, including certain sanctions, if Russia “used energy as a weapon” against Ukraine and Europe.
The “non-paper” argues that Germany is continuing to act in the spirit of the Joint Statement, listing “public pressure, political measures, and economic measures” to punish Russia for any potential wrongdoing. This includes “assessing” the suspension of future political meetings and reviewing “possible” limitations and restrictions on future Russian fossil fuel projects – not including the Nord Stream 2 endeavor.
Nord Stream 2 has not softened Germany’s foreign policy on Russia and Berlin “has sent strong signals to Moscow when it found Russia breaching international law even at the cost of accepting a strain on German-Russian relations”, argues the paper.
At the same time, the authors of the document insist that Nord Stream 2 is by no means a threat to Ukraine “as long as a reasonable gas transit is ensured”. Per the “non-paper”, the Joint Statement allows Germany and the U.S. to ensure that Moscow will “honor the current gas transit agreement with Ukraine and extend it beyond 2024”.
Similarly, “the granting of the certification [to Nord Stream 2] will not put at risk the security of gas supply in Germany and the EU”, the document highlights, citing the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and independent regulator’s assessment.
Addressing the latest spike in gas prices in Europe, the document additionally asserts that it is “a global phenomenon and cannot be exclusively attributed to Russia”.
“Russia is currently fulfilling all delivery obligations, including the gas transit agreement with Ukraine, but it could do more: Recent announcements by Putin to increase deliveries to European gas storages are a step in the right direction”, the “non-paper” underscores.
On top of this, U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2 “would only be a victory for [Vladimir] Putin” as it would sow discord between NATO allies, the document claims.