Merz promises that Germany says goodbye to the North Stream 2 gas pipeline: will weaken Moscow's war machine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised on Wednesday, at a common press conference with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, in Berlin, that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the “Nord Stream 2 can not be restored,” writes Politico.

The Nord Stream gas pipelines, which had previously transported Russia to Germany through pipes under the Baltic Sea, were thrown into an apparent sabotage act at the end of 2022. Since then, some German politicians have ruled in favor of resuming the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany through the North Stream pipes.

The Kremlin would also have made pressures for the restoration of the gas pipelines. In March, the Financial Times resulted that Moscow recruited a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin to make efforts to make gas to Europe through North Stream, with the support of US investors.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, works on a new package of sanctions against Russia, which also targets the North Stream natural gas pipes. While some politicians in Germany have criticized this approach, Merz's Wednesday statement served to clarify the position of the Berlin government.

Ensuring that North Stream 2 cannot be restored will “weaken the Moscow war machine” and “will open the way of peace negotiations,” Merz said.

North Stream pipes have long been a source of tension between Germany and Ukraine. Ukrainian officials insisted that the purchase of cheap Russian gases by Germany encouraged Putin and contributed to the financing of the Moscow war machine.

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