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German Energy Minister: Europe Should Not Restart Nord Stream Gas Pipelines

by Krystal

Germany’s outgoing Economy and Energy Minister, Robert Habeck, dismissed discussions about reviving the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia to Germany, calling them “the wrong direction” on Monday.

Habeck emphasized that the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine makes talks about potentially repairing Nord Stream 1 or 2 inappropriate. “The Ukrainians are still under attack by Russia, so discussing the future of Nord Stream 2 or Nord Stream 1, if it’s going to be repaired, is completely the wrong direction,” he stated in Brussels, according to Reuters.

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The pipelines, which run through the Baltic Sea, suffered significant gas leaks in September 2022. Nord Stream 2, which had not been operational due to a halted certification process after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was never used. Meanwhile, Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 indefinitely in early September 2022, citing the inability to repair turbines because of Western sanctions.

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Recently, however, there has been increasing speculation that reviving the pipelines could become part of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

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In early March, the Financial Times reported that a former Russian spy, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, had initiated talks to revive the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with U.S. investors. These talks are reportedly part of backchannel efforts to find a resolution to the war and rebuild economic relations between the U.S. and Russia.

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In response, Germany’s Economy Ministry confirmed that it has no plans or intentions to discuss restarting the pipeline. “Independence from Russian gas is of strategic importance to the German government in terms of security policy, and it is sticking to it,” the ministry stated earlier this month.

Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Urmas Reinsalu, also rejected the idea, declaring that Nord Stream 2 “belongs at the bottom of the sea, in pieces, not on the EU’s energy market.” He further emphasized that the EU should continue to welcome gas supplies from the United States, not Russia.

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