The administration of US President Joe Biden and the German Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday in a joint statement that they had reached an agreement concerning ending the conflict over the Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline. As part of the agreement, the US will waive sanctions over Nord Stream 2, while Germany is to invest in Ukrainian projects and will be obliged to impose sanctions on Russia in the case of aggressive actions.
Professor Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski painted a bleak picture of the consequences of the German-American agreement, calling it the result of American delusions.
“Washington is aiming to accomplish a double goal. On one hand, Americans care for the solidarity with the EU in light of China’s presence. They expect Germany, as the most powerful EU state, to ensure that solidarity. On the other hand, Washington is also hoping for the same kind of situation with Russia, and for Russia to not consume the American resources needed to combat China,” he explained in the interview for portal wpolityce.pl.
The professor declared that the US would not accomplish either of those goals.
Germany cannot be encouraged to cooperate while simultaneously being sanctioned for working with Russia. Therefore, the US gave a signal that it is ready to respect Berlin and Moscow’s interests if they accepted the American proposals.
Americans are doing something odd, because they are supporting their own competition. They are clearly sacrificing their own interests for the illusion of cooperating with Russia and pacification in the Russian direction. This will end poorly for everyone involved.
Żurawski vel Grajewski warned that these were unrealistic goals because Russia will interpret the situation as a sign of weakness and see how far it can push. Germany on the other hand, just in December 2020, showed willingness to cooperate with China during Germany’s EU presidency, given also its election year and the terrible debt of the Southern Eurozone.
“All of this is a poor sign for Central Europe and the Eastern NATO flank. We are truly dealing with an attempt to reset relations with Russia. This American offer is also combined with the offer to cooperate on climate, anti-terrorism, the pandemic, and cybersecurity, which is itself a paradox, as cyberattacks mostly come from Russia,” he said.
The professor also commented on the proposed concessions Germany would have to make to Poland and Ukraine in exchange for NS2’s completion.
Żurawski vel Grajewski underscored that there were no concessions which could compensate the pipeline’s construction, as the project undermines the security of Poland’s key neighbor in the East.
He also emphasized that Poland does not care about income from Russian gas transit and that beginning in 2022 will not have to even purchase Russian gas. Nevertheless, the gas from NS2 is not meant for the German market, but rather for redistribution by the German gas network. NS2 gas will be in competition within the Central European gas pipeline network, against American and Norwegian gas.
“It must be said that Americans are doing something odd, because they are supporting their own competition. They are clearly sacrificing their own interests for the illusion of cooperating with Russia and pacification in the Russian direction. This will end poorly for everyone involved,” Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski stressed.
