Republican congressmen have issued a letter criticizing the US government's approach to the conflict over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and warning of a deal with Germany.
Washington DC - In the conflict over the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, Republican Party congressmen wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
They warn urgently against a "deal through the back door" with Germany.
In a letter published on Monday, the Republican MPs accused the new US administration of not having taken any concrete measures after making clear statements against the pipeline.
They formulate their assumption in the letter in all clarity: “We fear that this discrepancy can only be explained by the desire to leave room for a deal through the back door with Germany.
Any deal that does not stop the completion of Nord Stream 2 would be misguided. "
The accusation against Biden: "back room deal" with Germany
In their letter, the Congressmen of the Republican Party call on the US Secretary of State to put other companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on the sanctions list.
So far, sanctions have only been imposed on the Russian company KVT-RUS.
This measure was enforced just before the end of the former US administration under Donald Trump.
This Russian company was once again specifically mentioned in a report recently submitted to the US Congress by the new US administration.
So far, however, no other companies have been penalized or threatened.
The Republicans sharply criticize this fact and apparently suspect that the new US administration could forego further sanctions if Germany made concessions in the conflict over the pipeline.
These would include investments in European energy infrastructure, for example.
The letter to Blinken stated that such an action would undermine the security interests of the US and Europe and represent an affront to the US Congress.
Nord Stream gas pipeline between Germany and Russia has been criticized for years
The letter also emphasizes that it supports efforts to revive US-Germany relations.
However, the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is not just a "nuisance" in relation to Germany, but a project through which Russia is trying to increase its influence.
The Nord Stream 2 is two strands of an underwater gas pipeline that are currently under construction and are to run in the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.
In November 2011, the first two strands of the pipeline were completed and inaugurated under the name Nord Stream 1.
Both construction projects were and are controversial and part of an international debate.
Nord Stream: economic construction project with far-reaching political dimensions
Germany's main interest in the Baltic Sea pipeline is direct access to Russian gas reserves.
Russia can in turn export gas directly to Western Europe through Nord Stream.
In this way, Germany and Russia have made themselves independent of transit countries, which were previously able to use the passage of exports through their territory as a means of pressure.
The construction of the Nord Stream is not only an economic construction project, but also a decision with a political dimension.
Not only the EU, but also numerous northern and eastern European countries (Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the Baltic States, Ukraine) have rejected and criticized the construction of the Nord Stream.
This is seen not only as a contradiction to the goal of diversifying the sources of supply, but also as a security problem.
Sharp criticism from the USA: Is it a security problem?
For several years now, the USA has been trying to promote the sale of US liquefied natural gas obtained through fracking as an alternative to Russian natural gas supplies.
The Nord Stream 2 has been criticized by the United States for both economic and security reasons.
So far, however, sanctions against the companies involved in the construction have only been issued against the Russian company KVT-RUS.
(dpa / Astrid Theil)