Germany Slams Down Suggestion to Open Nord Stream 2

Germany’s Federal Government has doubled down on its commitment not to certify the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is despite suggestions from certain governors that the pipeline is necessary to fill the country’s gas storage before winter.

“The Federal Government of Germany isn’t going to put the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into operation,” said Deputy Spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner at a briefing on Aug. 19.

“We stopped the certification process of the gas pipeline for good reasons, and the renewal of the project is not currently discussed,” he added in response to a proposal from one of the leaders of the liberal party, which is part of the ruling coalition.

Buchner explained other means of gas supply, in particular Nord Stream 1 that passes through the territory of Ukraine. He stated that Russia could fulfill all its contracts with European customers and provide all the needs of Europe. Buchner also mentioned the “Yamal” gas pipeline that runs through Belarus and Poland, which “Russia itself sanctioned.”

Ministry of Economy representative Stefan Gabriel Gaufe, confirmed that Russia could satisfy all of Germany’s gas needs via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. He added that federal government’s goal is to move completely away from the import of fossil energy sources from Russia.

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Vice-president of the German Bundestag and one of the leaders of the Free Democratic Party, Wolfgang Kubicki, also felt it was necessary to put the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into operation to fill Germany’s gas storage before the winter period.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner called Kubicki’s suggestion “wrong and absurd.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also denounced Kubicki’s proposal as “totally irrational” on Twitter, adding that it risked “devastating consequences.”

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was completed despite sanctions in the fall of 2021. Its certification was halted on Feb. 22 following the Russian Federation’s decision to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, which preceded the full-blown invasion of Ukraine.