Not restarting Nord Stream 2 is our best self-defense. The EU's cohesion is our every insurance and it must always be carefully considered, Bloomberg quoted Baerbock as saying to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with Nordic and Baltic counterparts on the Danish island of Bornholm.
Acting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that several EU member states have warned Germany that "a gas pipeline like Nord Stream 2 is not only a pure economic project but also serves geopolitical interests". Therefore, when Russia uses gas as a weapon, not restarting Russian gas imports is an act of self-defense and strengthening renewable energy.
After a meeting in Bornholm, Latvia Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said that the restoration of the Nord Stream pipeline and Russian gas sources was " unacceptable".
The German government has reassured us that this will not happen, she said, stressing that the Baltic states have completely replaced Russian gas with gas from the United States and Norway.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski expressed his opposition to the Nord Stream pipeline and revealed that he had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the issue last week.
The Polish Finance Minister has also discussed with his German counterpart about the possibility of reopening the Nord Stream pipeline after several German lawmakers spoke in support of ending US sanctions on Nord Stream 2, an unnamed source told Bloomberg.
Germany has basically stopped depending on Russian energy supplies after the conflict in Ukraine broke out 3 years ago. The Nord Stream pipeline connecting Germany to Russia was damaged in both branches in an explosion in 2022. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has one intact branch but the pipeline has not been licensed for operation by Germany.
Russian gas giant Gazprom holds a majority stake in Nord Stream and is the sole owner of Nord Stream 2. The Baltic states and Poland have long opposed the project.
The idea of bringing Nord Stream back has been raised recently in the context of discussions on a ceasefire in Ukraine. In March this year, the Financial Times reported that former agent Matthias Warnig was "ding together to restart" the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Meanwhile, German newspaper Bild reported that Richard Grenell - Donald Trump's special delegate to special missions and former US ambassador to Berlin - has traveled to Switzerland many times to participate in negotiations on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Both Warnig and Grenell denied the information.
The EU and Germany may only have limited impact on the ability to sell Nord Stream 2 because the process will take place under Swiss law. However, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline still needs an operating license from the German Ministry of Economy to restart and this will not happen, the source noted.
According to Bloomberg, the meeting on the island of Denmark could be Ms. Baerbock's last trip as German foreign minister. Earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz nominated conservative lawmaker Johann Wadephul as Baerbock's successor. Wadephul will be the first foreign minister of the CDU in nearly 60 years.
