Former US Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried said about the “threat of a split” in the energy market in Europe due to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 (SP-2) gas pipeline.
“The American leadership could use the sanctions weapon to destroy Nord Stream 2. We can try to do this, but we risk our relations with Berlin. What then can we do? Abandon sanctions? ”He said in an interview with the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza on Tuesday, April 20.
According to Fried, this project is “harmful”, since if it is launched, the Russian Federation will be able to sell gas to Germany bypassing Poland and Ukraine.
“If Germany made any proposal to the Poles, the rest of Europe and the Americans, it should be considered,” he said.
At the same time, Fried said that third countries, most likely, will not be able to weaken Russia’s energy influence in Europe. The author of the article also explained that Germany has not received such an offer from Poland at the present time.
Earlier that day, Poland called on Germany to abandon the implementation of Nord Stream 2 for the sake of “European solidarity.” According to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the project poses a threat to the security of Europe.
On April 20, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany had made a choice in favor of the construction of the SP-2, despite criticism from the EU countries. According to her, there is a political struggle around the project, but Berlin should maintain interaction with Moscow, including in the energy sector.
On April 15, US President Joe Biden signed a decree introducing new anti-Russian sanctions. He also stated that he could have imposed tougher sanctions against Russia, but he did not. At the same time, Biden stressed that the US administration is still considering the option of introducing unilateral sanctions against the SP-2.
Nord Stream 2 is being built from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea with the aim of direct and reliable gas supplies to Europe. It involves the construction of two lines of the gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m per year. The EU countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. Poland, the Baltic states, Ukraine and the United States are opposed.