Brussels, Washington, Berlin New governments are normally granted a grace period of 100 days. However, the traffic light coalition that is only a month old is not sparing itself. The dispute over the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2 is already spoiling the mood. “I’m irritated that a coalition partner is falling behind the spirit of the coalition agreement,” said Green MEP Sergey Lagodinsky, demanding power from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “The chancellor must now clarify the position of the federal government.” The reason for the green anger are statements by Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert. Nord Stream 2, as they put it, should not come into conflict with Russia be “pulled in” via Ukraine and should be considered a private-sector project. “Energy projects are geostrategically important, in a tough phase of provocation and confrontation by Russia nothing can be considered geopolitically neutral,” counters Lagodinsky.
get notified by email. But the dispute over the pipeline is not only a burden on the federal government in terms of coalition, but also in terms of foreign policy. In Washington, the statements of the SPD have caused considerable irritation. Lambrecht’s statements were picked up hours later by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who has been pushing for sanctions against the billion-euro project for years.
Biden wants to work closely with Germany
“The German defense minister says Nord Stream 2 is non-negotiable. Germany is not prepared to do anything to stop the pipeline,” Cruz raged on Thursday, just before the US Senate voted on new sanctions. The federal government is “hopelessly divided”, and Germany is complicit if Russia “erases Ukraine from the map”. A bill by the Texan that wanted to enforce immediate penalties against the billion-euro project ultimately did not make it through the powerful Chamber of Congress – also because the White House lobbied heavily against it. Because the government of President Joe Biden does not want to snub Germany right now, in solidarity with Russia. “We must be closely united with our European partners, including Germany,” the White House National Security Council said in a statement. The attitude of the SPD politicians annoys the US government all the more.
Nord Stream 2 was completed in September, but the operating company still needs certification from the Federal Network Agency. The Bonn authority suspended its proceedings in November because Nord Stream 2 AG is not organized under German law. The Gazprom subsidiary is based in Zug, Switzerland, and now has to find a German Found branches. The US government and its allies in the Senate see the pause in proceedings as evidence that American diplomacy is bearing fruit. “The German government has again committed to stopping Nord Stream 2 if Russia attacks Ukraine,” said top US diplomat Victoria Nuland a few days ago. A statement that is in direct contradiction to what Lambrecht and Kühnert said. Nuland paced Capitol Hill last week to persuade undecided Democrats to back away from radical Cruz sanctions — with success. “We are in a different situation now than we were a few months ago,” stressed Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
