A bilateral deal between Washington and Berlin over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany has ended a long-running dispute between the two Nato allies over the Kremlin-backed infrastructure project.
But Wednesday’s agreement, struck in the aftermath of German chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to the White House last week, has failed to bridge deep-seated divides in Europe over the pipeline or placate critics who say it is a geopolitical weapon that the Kremlin will use to undermine Ukraine and increase its leverage over EU energy supplies.
Set to begin operations later this year, Nord Stream 2 will pump 55bn cubic meters of gas under the Baltic Sea, allowing Kremlin-controlled gas exporter Gazprom to reach customers in Germany and elsewhere in Europe without using pipelines running through Ukraine.