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After Germany announced that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had been poisoned in Russia with Novichok, Chancellor Angela Merkel no longer ruled out the possibility of reconsidering the Nord Stream-2 energy project, German media reported.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel said Germany could not rule out any scenario of possible sanctions against Russia for the poisoning at this time. The Chancellor supports Chancellor Heiko Maas’s view that the review of the Nord Stream-2 project is one of the possible responses. However, it is still too early to say what action the Germans and their EU and NATO partners will take.
Yesterday it was announced that Alexei Navalny is no longer in a coma and his condition is improving. The Kremlin denies any connection to what happened. Political experts commented after the poisoning of Navalny (who is currently receiving treatment in Berlin) that Merkel would not risk the future of Nord Stream-2 because of the Russian opposition. The energy project is also a thorn in the side of the United States, which claims that Germany has allowed itself to become an energy hostage to Russia. Washington has even threatened its partners with sanctions.
But why is Nord Stream 2 so important? It is a multi-billion dollar pipeline designed to bring energy security to one of the world’s largest economies, Germany. Critics of the project see that it has a political dimension, in cooperation with Putin’s Kremlin regime, which is seen as the antithesis of democratic values, while its supporters say that Nord Stream 2 is vital to the German economy and thus So much for the EU. Politicians in Germany urge former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, considered a close friend of Vladimir Putin, to step down as chairman of the project’s board of directors. They believe Schroeder is using his close ties, including financial ones, with the Kremlin to push for Nord Stream-2. At the same time, the Russian government accused the German side of blocking efforts to clarify the Alexei Navalny case. The Russian government denies its involvement in the Navalny assassination attempt. Since August 22, the 44-year-old Russian opposition politician has been receiving treatment at the Sharite clinic in Berlin, considered one of the best in Europe.
Germany
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