Speaking to TASS, Erich Vad, a former army general and military advisor to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that the opportunity to warm up relations between Russia and Germany, including restarting energy cooperation via the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, could depend largely on the outcome of the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Everything will depend on the outcome of the negotiations between President Putin and President Trump. It would be a good thing to look forward to if Russia-Germany relations can gradually normalise, Mr. Vad said when asked whether Germany can partially lift sanctions against Russia and resume economic cooperation.
According to Mr. Vad, energy cooperation between Germany and Russia, especially the exploitation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, will also be closely linked to developments at the upcoming Russia-US summit.
Nord Stream 2, a Baltic seabed gas pipeline project connecting Russia to Germany, has stalled after the EU imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Although this is a project completed in 2021, its operation still faces strong opposition from the US and some European countries. Germany itself has not licensed Nord Stream 2 to operate.
The summit between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump is scheduled to take place in Alaska (USA) on August 15.
Information about the meeting was announced after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow on August 6, during which he worked directly with President Putin for nearly 3 hours.
Observers say that if this meeting brings a positive signal, it could be a turning point not only for Russia-US relations, but also open the door for Berlin to restart cooperation channels with Moscow, including the Nord Stream 2 project.
