In response to Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced that Germany has suspended certification of the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between his country and that of Vladimir Putin. The fast-moving crisis in Ukraine throws into sharp relief the fissures that threaten European and transatlantic unity. Nowhere are these tensions more visible than in how countries are approaching their energy needs.
Nord Stream 2, which will bypass Ukraine by carrying gas under the Baltic Sea – and more broadly Europe’s demand for gas at a time of exceptionally high energy prices – is not a primary reason for the Ukraine crisis but it is a contributing factor. The pipeline has meant Germany and the US have not been in full agreement on how to respond to Russia, with the US stating that an invasion would bring an end to the pipeline.
Permanently cancelling the pipeline is a much bigger decision to take now than before construction and one that all the nations due to be supplied with the gas it is set to carry – Czech Republic, Austria and Italy, as well as Germany – will carefully consider. Even Germany’s current suspension may prove temporary should the west come to an agreement with Russia.
