German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck has warned that the future of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany could face “severe consequences” if Russia attacked Ukraine.
“Any new military action cannot remain without severe consequences,” Habeck said, referring to a Russian troop deployment on the Ukraine border. “The question of [the pipeline] being put into service remains open and must be decided according to European and German law.”
Nothing can be excluded if there is a “new violation of the territorial integrity” of Ukraine, he said, speaking in an interview in the December 19 edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Habeck also said that a Russian invasion could prompt Berlin to rethink its cooperation with Russia on the pipeline.
The pipeline is set to double the supply of natural gas from Russia to Germany, but the project has for years been dogged by delays and criticism from Germany’s eastern EU allies, including Poland.
The United States and Ukraine oppose Nord Stream 2 on the grounds that it would endanger European energy security by increasing the continent’s reliance on Russian gas and deprive Ukraine of transit fees.
Habeck said that from a geopolitical point of view, “the pipeline is a mistake.” It has, however, been built, he said.
The new German government already has threatened to block the pipeline from going into operation if Russia invades Ukraine.
“In the event of further escalation, this gas pipeline could not come into service,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
The pipeline awaits approval from German regulators. The pipeline’s Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG, the company that controls the pipeline, must submit documents to restart the certification process. The pipeline would then also have to be approved by the European Commission.
Germany’s energy regulator said on December 16 that no decision on whether to allow the pipeline to be commissioned is expected in the first half of 2022.
Meanwhile, in Washington, lawmakers have not given up on imposing sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG.
The U.S. Senate will vote next month on a bill to slap sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG under an agreement reached on December 18 between Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York).
Cruz agreed to lift a hold on votes to approve several of President Joe Biden’s nominees for ambassadorial posts in exchange for a guarantee of a vote on the sanctions bill by January 14.
The deal cleared the way for approval on December 18 of about three dozen ambassadors in votes by the Senate.
Cruz moved to block votes on nominees after the Biden administration in May waived sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, saying the project was already mostly built and as the administration sought to repair ties with Germany.
The controversial $11 billion pipeline was completed in September, and Russia has said it is ready to begin shipping gas.
