Germany wobbles on Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
Bloomberg / Handelsblatt Global
Support within German Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 coalition for the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline is slipping as frustration with the Kremlin鈥檚 brinkmanship grows and pressure from US President Donald Trump starts to bite,聽. The shift could translate into pressure on the German government to back down on the controversial pipeline and possibly delay its implementation, according to Donahue.聽
The US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell,聽聽that companies working on the project 鈥渁re always in danger because sanctions are always possible.鈥澛燞e also said he was sure that the companies involved would pull out of the project, of their own accord, when confronted with the threat of sanctions, report Moritz Koch, Torsten Riecke, and Klaus Stratmann.
Currently under construction, Nord Stream 2 would allow Russian gas聽to flow directly to Germany. It 聽is scheduled for completion in late 2019. Proponents argue the pipeline is a commercial investment key to Europe's supply security, while opponents criticise Nord Stream 2 on environmental, geopolitical, and security grounds. 聽
