The USA has signaled its readiness to start a dialogue on the lifting of sanctions on Nord Stream-2, provided that the German side presents proposals that will eliminate Washington's concerns about the project.
About it Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Tuesday with reference to sources in the American administration
As Handelsblatt notes, in particular, the Americans demand that the issue of gas pipeline implementation be linked to a mechanism that will prevent the operation of the gas pipeline in the event of a reduction in transit supplies through Ukraine.
"That is (in accordance with the requirement of the USA) gas supplies via Nord Stream-2 can be interrupted if Moscow tries to put pressure on Ukraine by reducing gas volumes," the newspaper writes.
In addition, the United States wants to completely renegotiate the agreement regulating the transit of Russian "blue fuel" through the pipeline system of Ukraine. "The goal is to create more favorable conditions for the Ukrainian side," Handelsblatt noted. Another requirement is to increase the capacity of gas storage facilities so that, if necessary, it would be possible to supply Ukraine with it.
At the same time, the authors of the article reminded that in recent years a lot has been done to provide the country with fuel, for example, in terms of reverse deliveries. However, the Americans want to "intensify the previous efforts even more." Their "wishes" do not end there. The USA requires Germany to assist Ukraine in expanding the infrastructure for the possible transportation of hydrogen in order to make Kyiv an important player in the energy market in the future and reduce Europe's dependence on Russia.
The interlocutor of the newspaper claimed that "President Biden will lift the sanctions only if it is guaranteed that Russia will not be able to use as a weapon against Ukraine and other neighboring countries their dependencies in the field of energy."
Handelsblatt reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the subject of Nord Stream 2 by phone with the new US President Joe Biden, although this moment was not mentioned in the official statement of the German cabinet following the conversation. Official government spokesman Steffen Seibert declared the readiness of both leaders to cooperate in overcoming international challenges, but "missed an important detail - the conversation also discussed Nord Stream-2," the publication writes.
According to his information, the Merkel government is in no hurry to present any proposals to the Americans, although it welcomed the willingness of the United States to compromise. In Berlin, however, they believe that "there is little room for genuine concessions." "Ultimately, a lot has already been done to dispel the doubts of the Americans," the newspaper's sources in the German Cabinet of Ministers noted.
In Berlin, it was pointed out that the Russian side assured the continuation of gas supplies through Ukraine even after the start of operation of Nord Stream-2. Moreover, it was the government of the Federal Republic of Germany that made a lot of efforts in this direction, as well as in general in reaching agreements between Moscow and Kyiv on transit.
Nevertheless, Niels Annen, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, spoke in an interview with Handelsblatt in favor of meeting Washington. "Before, there was an administration that was not interested in reaching an agreement. If there is a willingness to conduct a dialogue, then this is a political opportunity that we should take advantage of," he believes.
As a reminder, "Severny Potok-2" involves the construction of two lines of the gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m per hour from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. Work was suspended in December 2019 after the Swiss Allseas refused to lay the pipes due to possible sanctions from the United States. But in December 2020, Nord Stream 2 AG resumed laying the pipeline, having built 2,6 km of the pipeline in Germany's exclusive economic zone. By now from 2 thousand More than 460 km of 2 km gas pipelines have been laid. 300 km, which is 94% of the total length of the pipe. It remains to lay 120 km in Danish waters and more than 28 km in German waters.
