In the EU, talks about "Nord Stream" have resumed amid negotiations between Russia and the US: what is known and what the European Commission and Germany are saying

The European Commission does not have information regarding the discussion between the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the future Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, against the backdrop of renewed pressure from Russia to revive the "Nord Stream" (Nord Stream) and emphasizes its commitment to abandoning Russian fuel, said European Commission spokeswoman Paula Piñho during a briefing on Friday, writes UNN.

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"I am not aware that this topic was raised between Mr. Merz and President von der Leyen, and we can confirm our commitment to abandoning fossil fuels from Russia," Piñho said.

This is how she answered the question of whether von der Leyen had discussions with Merz against the background of renewed pressure from the Russian Federation to revive "Nord Stream" 1 and 2, and given the words of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, that he would like the US administration to put a little more pressure on the EU, in this case, Germany, and whether against this background the EU remains committed to the deadlines for stopping the import of energy from the Russian Federation, especially gas.

"As for "Nord Stream-2", it is important to clarify the role of the European Commission in this matter. This is an enterprise of private companies. We have no participation in the project as such. What is important to us is that if it starts operating, it will partially operate within the European internal market, which means that it must comply with the relevant EU legislation, which in this case is the gas directive. This is where our interest in this case and our role at this stage end," added European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.

Why are they talking about "Nord Stream-2" again?

On March 26, it became known that Washington and Moscow are negotiating the restoration of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, as stated by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, against the background of the Kremlin's attempt to restore its position in Europe against the background of the prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The Nord Stream pipelines, which previously transported gas from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, were blown up in an apparent act of sabotage in late 2022.

"There is talk about "Nord Streams"," Lavrov told Russian state television. - It will probably be interesting if the Americans use their influence on Europe and force it not to give up Russian gas."

Prior to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow provided 40% of the EU's gas imports, allowing it to have a huge influence on the bloc's energy supply. Although the EU has since reduced this dependence by about two-thirds, this issue remains painful for Ukraine, as oil and gas purchases remain a key lifeline for the Russian war machine.

Last month, the Financial Times reported that Moscow had enlisted a close friend of President Putin to restore gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream with the support of American investors.

What do they say in Germany

So far, Germany has opposed the resumption of the pipeline. "Talk about the potential of "Nord Stream-2"... is a completely wrong direction of discussion," former German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told reporters in Brussels recently.

"But there are increasing signs that the next government in Berlin may take a different position," Politico points out. Key representatives of the center-right party who participated in the coalition negotiations... told the publication "that the country may return to Russia for gas when peace is ensured in Ukraine."

On Wednesday, Lavrov said there was "interest in restoring normal energy supplies to Europe."

Meanwhile, given the speculation about the future of the stalled Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, the Greens in Germany expect a clear statement as soon as possible from CDU leader Friedrich Merz, the future German Chancellor, reports n-tv. "If Lavrov is now saying that the US and Russia are negotiating the commissioning of Nord Stream 2, the future Chancellor must make it unmistakably clear that this is not in the interests of Germany or Europe," said party leader Franziska Brantner. Referring to the debt package for defense and infrastructure adopted last week, she added: "We, the Greens, did not vote for the billions spent on our defense capability so that the future federal government could refill the Russian war chest with gas money."

What else do they say in the EU

Nevertheless, some EU countries fear restoring dependence on Moscow. "It's bad for Europe," one EU diplomat told Politico. - If Europe wants to support Ukraine, why [return] Russian gas?" The fact that negotiations on Nord Stream are taking place without Europe's participation is "madness," they added.

This should be a "strict European issue," added a second EU diplomat.

Brussels has also pledged to continue its goal of phasing out imports of Russian fossil fuels by 2027 - much to Lavrov's chagrin, Politico notes.

EU Energy Commissioner Den Jørgensen insisted that Brussels is not counting on a return of Russian imports. "There is no change in EU policy towards Russia when it comes to energy," he told reporters recently. - We want to be independent from energy imports from Russia."