German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his support for the European Commission's proposal to prevent the resumption of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea under the new sanctions against Russia over the weekend.
He made the statement after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
The German leader noted that the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey on May 16 did not meet his expectations despite "the Ukrainian negotiating group having a maximum constructive approach".
On May 10, during a visit to Kiev, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Chancellor Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk issued an ultimatum to Russia, demanding a 30-day ceasefire. European leaders have warned of sanctions if the ceasefire in Ukraine does not take place.
Also last week, Prime Minister Friedrich Merz shared in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper that Germany has no plans to issue a certificate for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
When asked whether the German government under his leadership could be granted a license to use the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said: "Currently, Nord Stream 2 does not have an operating license and that will not change."
Europe is preparing a new package of sanctions, mainly targeting Russia's financial and energy sectors. On May 16, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen revealed initial details of sanctions against Russia.
Ms. Ursula von der Leyen explained that the new sanctions could be imposed on the Nord Stream gas pipeline to "prevent all interest, especially the interest from investors, in pursuing any activities related to Nord Stream in the future".
European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho stressed that the EU sanctions aim to extinguish all interest in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
The gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany is currently not working, but the Nord Stream pipeline can still be repaired and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline can still get an operating license.
Spokesperson Pinho emphasized that even if the system is not working, there is still a need for sanctions because the future is still uncertain and the situation can change.
The Nord Stream pipeline will transport Russian gas to Europe until the summer of 2022 before being damaged in an explosion in September of that year. The parallel system with Nord Stream - the Nord Stream 2 pipeline - was built in 2021 but has not been licensed for operation. Nord Stream 2 suffered a broken branch in the sabotage in September 2022.
