German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has actively supported the European Union’s proposed ban on the reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipelines as part of an upcoming package of sanctions against Russia, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.
The Merz government said this week that it had approved the ban as part of the upcoming round of sanctions. According to the paper’s interlocutors, the chancellor was keen to stifle any internal debate on the resumption of the Nord Stream project. After media reported in March that Russian and US businessmen wanted to restart the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany, Merz began discussing with officials in Berlin and Brussels how this could be prevented, the FT writes.
Adding Nord Stream to the EU sanctions list ‘potentially removes a political problem for him,’ the sources said. The EU sanctions will target the Swiss company Nord Stream 2 AG, which owns the pipeline, and other companies that could be used to restart and operate the system, they said.
