Nord Stream 2 and Putin's war with Ukraine

 

 Operning the Nord Stream2 project in 2011 with Angela Merkel, Dmitry Medvedev, Mark Rutte and François Fillon.

 

On 02 September 2020 I wrote that,

"We know that [German Defence Minister] Ursula von den Leyen, like German Chancellor Merkel, is fully behind the completion of Nord Stream2. A quick resolution of the war between Putin and Ukraine will enable Nord Stream2 to be completed, notwithstanding the threat of US sanctions against EU companies involved in its completion.

Let us recall that in 2019,

"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on December 27 criticized new U.S. legislation that imposes sanctions on European companies building the Russian Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline to Germany." (RFERL : 27 December 2019) (my emphasis)

Was Nord Stream2 on Ursula von den Leyen's mind whilst having that tête-à-tête call with Zelenskiy on 28 August 2020? " (blog entry 02/09/2020)

 And today Reuters reports that,

"German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht (left) on Thursday warned against drawing a link between the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, meant to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, and the differences with Moscow over Ukraine.

“We should not drag (Nord Stream 2) into this conflict,” Lambrecht told the broadcaster rbb in an interview." (Reuters : 13 January 2021) (my emphasis)

Again do I wish to draw the attention of my readers to the Treaty of Rapallo signed between Germany and Russia in 1922 

At that time, "Germany and Russia were rapidly moving closer together because each could use what the other had to offer. Russia needed Germany's skilled, now idle industrial workers, its engineers, and general knowledge of advanced industrial methods. For Germany, Russia provided an outlet for its energies, a market for its products, and a source of raw materials" (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)

Today, Putin's Russia similarly provides a market for Germany's products (cf: Siemens electricity turbines now operating in Ukraine's Crimea that has been annexed by Putin), and Angela Merkel's and Putin's Nord Stream2 Pipeline underscores German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht's argument that Nord Stream 2 is simply to obtain 'raw materials (gas) from Putin's Russia'.

Unlike Germany's Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht, Germany's current Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock sees Nord Stream 2 as a geoploitical weapon being used by Putin not only to 'blackmail' the EU, but also to attack Ukraine economically.

She recently stated that,

"Germany must comply with European requirements, this also applies to Nord Stream 2. This is currently not the case, so the certification process is now suspended. And of course Nord Stream 2 also has geopolitical implications. This is why in the “joint declaration” with the US government we agreed that, should Russia use energy as a weapon or commit other aggressive actions against Ukraine, we will take effective measures together with our European partners" (Breaking Latest News : 10 January 2022) (my emphasis)

 Youtube : 9 November 2021

No doubt this critical division between Germany's Defence Ministry and Germany's Foreign Office over Nord Stream 2 is a determining factor in Putin's political calculus during the current flurry of meetings being held about his demands to turn the political clock back prior to the collapse of the USSR.

Putin's economy desperately NEEDS Nord Stream 2 to come on stream!

As Jake Cordell reports,

"The Russian economy is set to revert to its pre-coronavirus pattern of sluggish growth, weak investment and underwhelming living standards in 2022, economists predict, as the Kremlin re-embraces austerity after the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic." (The Moscow Times : 4 January 2022) (my emphasis)

Will Germany's Defence Ministry now checkmate Germany's Foreign Office into giving the green light for Nord Stream 2 to start pumping gas to Germany to save Putin's flailing economy?

(to be continued)