Germany will not refuse from the Nord Stream due to Navalny's case

Merkel responded to a proposal to withdraw from the project to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in connection with the alleged poisoning of opposition politician Alexey Navalny.

“I think we should share. From our point of view, Nord Stream 2 should be completed. This is a project that is being implemented by economic actors from Russia and Europe, ”RIA Novosti quoted Merkel as saying at the annual summer press conference.

She said that she considered it "inexpedient" to try to link the economic project for gas supply to Germany with the issue of Navalny. Merkel stressed that Germany does not share Washington's desire to expand sanctions in connection with the construction of the gas pipeline.

Earlier, German politicians also spoke negatively in connection with the actions of the United States related to the obstacles in the completion of the Nord Stream. For example, the head of the Bundestag Committee on Economics and Energy, Klaus Ernst, called on the German authorities to actively defend an important project for Germany in connection with opposition from the United States.

The construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with a length of 1,234 kilometers from Russia to Germany goes through the territory of Denmark, Finland and Sweden. In 2019, the gigantic construction project, in which Gazprom has already invested about 10 billion euros, actually stood up after the Swiss company Allseas refused to participate in the construction of the pipeline against the background of the US sanctions.

As a result, Gazprom decided to complete the gas pipeline on its own. To complete the project, the company needs to lay less than a hundred kilometers of pipe. In addition to the United States, which has an interest in selling its natural gas in Europe, some Eastern European countries opposed the launch of Nord Stream 2. They expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Russia would refuse to transit gas through their territory.