White House planning Nord Stream 2 sanctions against Germany

Germany should brace for U.S. sanctions over the Nord
Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project with Russia, signaling an escalation of
economic conflict with Europe, according to an envoy of Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s government. Peter Beyer, the German government’s coordinator for
transatlantic relations, said in a May 18 interview with Bloomberg Television
that an official in U.S. President Trump’s administration
told him at a meeting in Washington last week that sanctions related to the
Baltic Sea pipeline are likely.

The same day, German Chancellor Merkel met with
Russian President Putin in Sochi, after which she indicated to reporters that
Germany has not yet changed its plans for Nord Stream 2. “Ukraine’s role as a
transit country should be preserved, even after the construction of Nord Stream
2,” she said, as reported by the pravda.com.ua news site. “This has strategic
meaning and Germany is ready to play an active role and supporting that.”

Only 14% of Germans support strengthened EU sanctions
against the Russian government, according to a poll conducted by the ZDF German
television network, whose results it reported on May 18. About 45% of Germans
support the current EU sanctions, while 36% said they should be relaxed.

Zenon Zawada: Possible
sanctions against Germany are a major development for several reasons. They
signify that the Trump administration has taken the lead in enforcing sanctions
against Russia, challenging Europe’s hypocrisy on the matter in continuing to
move forward with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the mid- to long-term benefits of
which for Russia could outweigh its losses from the current EU sanctions, which
consist of asset freezes and trade restrictions on the economic level.

In addition, this bold move intensifies the conflict
between Russia and the U.S. over which power will be able to find a common
geopolitical view with Europe and guide the continent in the next decade. The
Russians are convinced that the tide is turning in their favor, particularly
with the rise of populist-nationalist forces and fatigue among Europeans over
the conflict with Russia, as apparent with the recent poll.

For Ukraine, the U.S.’s ability to force the
Europeans away from Russian gas (and perhaps towards American gas) will be a
major factor in preserving statehood and independence. A bolstered Ukrainian
state will serve as a U.S. satellite on Russia’s doorstep and Russia is
currently acting to prevent that from happening. Therefore, if they happen,
sanctions against Germany over Nord Stream 2 will take the U.S.-Russia conflict
to a higher, more dangerous level.