Germany not planning to respond to US sanctions on Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
…from Sputnik News, Moscow
[ Editor’s Note: No big surprise here. The marriage of Russian gas and Germany is here to stay because after landing in Germany it will be connected to a wider distribution network. The heart of the EU industrial economy is affordable gas.
It is obviously critical to the EU’s long term energy security to have multiple sources that it can depend on that cannot be held hostage by problems in one country, that would include an outside actor like the US wanting to muscle in on the EU gas market by choking a transit point somewhere.
Trump’s plan to do this with more expensive LNG gas never made sense from day one with its Mafia perspective, where you find a way to extort a buyer into taking your high priced goods.
Trump was confidant that with the extortion tools available to him as president by playing the sanction bogeyman, given time he would rule. With the huge oversupply of oil and gas, rock bottom prices, and a major recession, a delay in finishing the pipeline hurts no one.
But despite all of his bluster, a diplomatic or economic genius he ain’t, unless you measure that on how well he has padded the bank accounts of his backers… Jim W. Dean ]
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– First published … May 04,2020 –
BERLIN (Sputnik) – Berlin is not planning to respond to any US sanctions placed on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline despite disagreeing with the US position that the involvement in the project poses a threat to NATO, Germany’s Federal Cabinet said in a document on Monday.
“The government will not initiate the discussion of retaliatory measures, diplomatic sanctions or entry bans against those responsible for the Nord Stream 2 sanctions. The government believes that such measures are not useful. Additionally, the government draws attention to the fact that countermeasures to sanctions can only be introduced in agreement with the European Union,” the cabinet document reads.
At the same time, lawmakers reiterated their rejection of international sanctions and expressed their belief that the involvement in the gas project does not pose a risk to NATO.
“The federal government does not share the view that German policy towards Nord Stream 2 threatens NATO,” the cabinet document said.
In February, US President Donald Trump voiced his approval to levy sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project, a 745-mile-long twin pipeline that will carry nearly 2 trillion cubic feet of gas annually. The project is a joint venture between Russia’s Gazprom and five other companies, including Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall.
The Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture between Russia’s Gazprom and five European companies. The 745-mile-long twin pipeline will carry up to 1.942 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia to Germany through the territorial waters or exclusive economic zones of Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia and Sweden. Washington has long been opposing the project, while trying to promote its liquefied natural gas to the European market.
Washington imposed sanctions on the project in December, and Swiss contractor Allseas almost immediately suspended the construction of the gas pipeline. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in January that the pipeline should be finished by 2021, or by the first quarter of next year at the latest.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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Nice to see Andy has some job security!
Aha… To get that job on the ship you need to be some CEO’s relative. I work on the land. But now jobless. Quarantine… 🙁
Gas to heat homes and apartments did not “tank” like oil just did.
Big difference between gas pipelines and oil pipelines.
Russia should join NATO and
Europe kick USA out.
Only thing USA has to offer anymore to Europe is a US military base and occasional bioweapon lab.
Jim, you are right. That is the working now pipeline The Power of Siberia. But i didn’t take part in building it. There was a hard negotiation with China about the price for gas. Anyway, it is long-term contract. It works.
I had remembered some of the gas contracts being tied to oil prices, but the details of course could be different from LNG to pipelines, and the type of contract, fixed versus market and also how long the contract is for. I remember the big Russian-Chinese gas deal being 20 years for a fixed price.
Yeah….NO. This is a highly unlikely action, as all countries involved owe their souls to The City of London.
The master of all these puppets, with US Government being a subsidiary puppet.
This was Trumps “Genius,” “Super Genius” plans.
I thought Germany was a US ally. It appears I’m mistaken.
Germany, it’s EU partners stood by US honoring the sanctions. Sustained billions of fiat Eurobucks a year in lost trade. Permanently.
When Germny complained Trump piles on more sanctions. Russia thanked US, and requested more sanctions.
Germany realized the costs associated with having Nordstream sitting idle, and was terribly disappointed at US attempt to force the country to buy this poor quality “American” gas, that came from a small country neighboring Ukraine. At up to 55% higher prices, and the honor of unreliable delivery.
US didn’t offer EU countries the slightest compensation to offset losses sustained in honoring it’s ally’s sanctions.
Germany asked US for a “pass” on sanctions against Nordstream, stating it could not sustain the losses accruing by the project being idle, or pay the stupidest trade deal in world history. Dismissed, followed by Trump berating, disparaging, ranting, raving, bullying threatening to “punish” a US ally requesting remedy from bankruptcy.
If I were Germany, and an EU country, I might start to think, their ally could be a smidge disloyal to their association.
Germany acted with honor supporting US sanctions, someone somewhere could get drunk, and claim Germany is loyal to US ally. No one will say US has a mcg of loyalty to anyone, or anything. The Pompeous ass, would balk, and choke trying to say that lie. How loyal should an ally one’s ally be to another that has visited this bullshit upon one’s country ? “Fraggin'” loyal ? Keeping in mind the violated ally is leveraged into compliance or their NATO agreement. US Government is not Germany’s ally, it’s an enemy force, it attacked Germany, and EU. What group of girls is gonna’ be willing to head on into a firefight beside a country that had thrown them under a long line of busses. A new ally is indicated.
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