Page 7 - FSUOGM Week 16 2021

FSUOGM COMMENTARY FSUOGM

was “in play.” said. “And there is hope that both the second and
“Nord Stream 2 is a complicated issue the first line will be built no later than June if,
affecting our allies in Europe,” he said. “I’ve of course, foreign ships do not interrupt. It hap-
been opposed to Nord Stream 2 for a long time pened before.”
from the beginning, even before I left office as Biden has repeatedly avoided taking a firm
vice-president.” stance on Nord Stream 2 and this could indicate
He added that he had suggested a per- he is backing down from opposing the project.
son-to-person meeting with Putin this summer This realpolitik approach is realistic, consider-
at a summit in Europe. ing the pipeline is already too advanced to be
Construction of the 55 bcm per year Nord stopped, and German support for it remains
Stream 2 ground to a halt in December 2019 strong. The US would benefit from rekindling
after the US imposed its first round of sanctions its relationship with Germany, which was put
against the project. Russia has since deployed its under significant strain during the Trump
own pipelaying vessels to finish the job, although administration.
a number of insurers, certifiers and other Euro- A number of senior German politicians have
pean firms have withdrawn from Nord Stream 2 called for trilateral talks to take place between
because of the sanctions risk. Germany, Russia and the US to decide Nord
Nord Stream 2 is now over a year behind Stream 2’s fate. Biden suggested that the summer
schedule, but Russia remains hopeful that the summit with Putin could be used to “launch a
pipeline will be finished and potentially within strategic stability dialogue to pursue co-opera-
six months. tion and arms control and security.” It could also
“Everything leads to us finishing all works no serve as a stage for pragmatic discussions about
later than summer,” the head of the energy com- how Nord Stream 2 can be allowed to move for-
mittee of the Russian State Duma, Pavel Zavalny, ward, on some conditions set by the US. ™

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