Nord Stream 2 Could Still End Up In "Investment Ruin"

[Tangmo]

The only thing worse than a rising China is the falling China that we have post Obama's time in office.

Xi and his dominant Maoist ideological faction of the CCP mean to wreck the extant world order and global system so that the DictatorTyrants in Beijing can replace it with themselves.

Biden is gathering the democracies and partner countries such as NATO members, the Japanese through the South China Sea nations to Australia and on to India to isolate the malevolent beast China is while elevating Taiwan so it can be more secure. The unwoke stalk us like the undead stalk the night when they think CCP-PRC and Russia would cooperate with a world led by the West that continues to be led by the Anglosphere and its values and overall might.

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan exist in the worst neighborhood of the world given that right there are Russia, North Korea, China. So it matters that, as pointed out by the former prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, there is the "Democracy Diamond" from Japan to Hawaii to Australia/NZ on to India, through many SCS nations to include Taiwan and SK and Japan. Xi and Putin are bomb throwers who reject climate change completely which is why the world has written them off. The duo isolate themselves as Xi for one keeps building more coal fired power plants.

 

[anatta]

There is definitely a lesson for the US. Trump was right on all points. Trump the man is a difficult proposition,
but there is no reason why rejecting the man entails rejecting his policies; it is a lot like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

The European Union is too woke as a conception. Maybe it explains why the UK could not wait to bail out. How can China, with the second largest economy, if she is not the first already, be allowed a break in carbon emissions? Paris is a BAD agreement.

I also found it interesting that Biden and Boris Johnson appeared to be of the opinion that you can just separate Climate Change policies from other geopolitical issues. Both were disappointed that Putin and Xi made no appearance at the Glasgow summit. Boris Johnson also put in a call to Putin in a conversation that went like; understandably, UK Russia relations have gone south, but Climate Change being a present danger to all, both can put aside other matters and Putin should make an appearance. Putin refused. So the summit was kind of hollow with the absence of Russia and China.

If relations keep going south with Russia and China how does the west get them to coorporate on their cherished climate change?

Kerry will kowtow to China for Climate concessions. he's fanatical green -flying around in a private jet
You make an excellent point about carbon "being separated" from geopolitics. Kerry has specifically endorsed that position

I have no idea how to get Russia, I think they have made pledges -for what they are worth

China is inceasing carbon emissions -that is prima facie evidence the Agreement is bad medicine.

 

[Tangmo]

After months of Gazprom, NS2 AG and the Kremlin Mafia firing off specific dates about the pipeline and the flow of gas through it into Germany and western Europe all three of 'em have suddenly become vague if not frustrated, preferring instead the fetal position on it.

Kremlin calls guesstimating Nord Stream 2’s commissioning ‘thankless job'​

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has referred to speculation about the timing of the possible launch of Nord Stream 2 as a "thankless job".


"Guessing the timing now is a thankless job. And we would not want to do that," he said. "Everything depends on the formalities related to certification," he said, commenting on the situation around the gas pipeline. The Federal Network Agency of Germany said on Tuesday that it had suspended Nord Stream 2 AG's certification process as an independent transport operator over legal issues.

Kremlin calls guesstimating Nord Stream 2’s commissioning ‘thankless job’

Dmitry Peskov added that, in technical terms, everything is ready for the launch of Nord Stream 2, and all further action depends on current EU red tape

tass.com

Ghost Project 2

Dmitry Peskov added that, in technical terms, everything is ready for the launch of Nord Stream 2, and all further action depends on current EU red tape

 

[Juin]

After months of Gazprom, NS2 AG and the Kremlin Mafia firing off specific dates about the pipeline and the flow of gas through it into Germany and western Europe all three of 'em have suddenly become vague if not frustrated, preferring instead the

You should buy shares in Naftogaz. Your are dangerously fixated on Russians. There has to be life outside Russia

 

[Tangmo]

You should buy shares in Naftogaz. Your are dangerously fixated on Russians. There has to be life outside Russia

Rat psychology from an expert, ie, one who hasn't any substantive reply.

 

[Tangmo]

Vladimir Milov who is a senior adviser to the Putin poisoned Alexei Navalny reminds us it is just more than a year ago that Putin's major political opponent and critic Navalny suffered a Kremlin Mafia chemical warfare attack that nearly ended his life. And that in Germany it's still business as usual as the outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel continues to advocate the NS2 gas pipeline that makes Germany into the Kremlin's energy agent in Europe and against the EU and NATO.

The adviser Milov notes that the primary purpose of Putin's Pipeline is twofold: one to absorb Ukraine by force and, secondly, to subjugate the EU and NATO to his own nefarious authoritarian triumph of the will....

We know the true purpose of the pipeline: not to boost capacity -- as promised to outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel -- but to shut down the gas transit through Ukraine, which Putin openly bragged about at the St. Petersburg economic forum in June. Many EU member states that see through Putin’s strategy have spoken out against how Putin will weaponize Nord Stream 2 to pursue his gas pipeline politics. Gazprom's recent gas market manipulation is only a foreshadowing of what’s to come for Europe with its increased dependence on Russian gas shipments. However, Germany, the main supporter of Nord Stream 2 and the most economically powerful EU member, remains tone-deaf to their arguments.


Germany’s current approach to Russia is not only intellectually inconsistent and morally bankrupt but also dangerous. Europe must reverse its growing dependence on Russian gas. If Putin’s crackdown on human rights at home and assassinations abroad is not enough to induce Germany to take action, maybe extreme gas prices will. Both are inevitable outcomes if Nord Stream 2 becomes operational — and both are part of an orchestrated effort to undermine the West.

Nord Stream 2 emboldens Putin's human rights abuses

The construction of Gazprom’s now-infamous Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has been completed. The project’s completion nearly perfectly coincided with the first anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s poisoning by the Kremlin, from which he only narrowly escaped death by the Novichok nerve agent. The…

www.washingtonexaminer.com

In Washington the Democratic Party chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Menendez of New Jersey has introduced an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill now moving through the body to impose sanctions on Putin himself if Russia takes any military action against Ukraine at this time.

The Senate is meanwhile aligning with the House passed Defense Authorization that will require mandatory sanctions against Gazprom, NS 2 AG incorporated in Switzerland and on all 5 European investors in the pipeline to include the two German energy giants that have already long been doing massive business in Russia, Uniper and Wintershall Dea. As a final touch, the Authorization bill and its mandatory NS2 sanctions removes the waiver a potus almost always gets in legislation. So mandatory sanctions coming right after the first of the year are, well, mandatory, and the potus hasn't any waiver authority of 'em.

 

[Tangmo]

Greens' NS2 opponent and Atlantist Annalena Baerbock is the new Foreign Minister and the Greens coleader Robert Habeck is new minister of Energy, Economics, Climate so the pro pipeline chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Russia hugging SPD are in for a rough time from here on out.​

​

Indeed, of all the announcements of policy agreements and goals, the new "Traffic light" coalition shows zero wattage on Nord Stream 2 as nothing is being said, ie, the major differences between the Greens and FDP together vs. SPD are locked muzzled in a cage in the basement until the new round of U.S. mandatory sanctions arrive the first week of the new year to demolish NS 2 AG, its owner Gazprom and the 5 European investors two of which are German firms doing a ton of big business in Russia already. ​

​

German parties seal deal on new ‘traffic light’ coalition​

Germany’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the business-friendly liberal FDP have finalised their coalition agreement for a new government, with Olaf Scholz to succeed Angela Merkel as the new chancellor in December.

EURACTIV Germany reports.

The current finance minister, Scholz will not only be Germany’s first social democrat chancellor in 16 years, but also lead the first three-party coalition in the country’s history. “We are not interested in a policy of the lowest common denominator, but in a policy of great impact,” said Scholz, whose party narrowly won the general elections on 26 September and is expected to be inaugurated as chancellor in the first week of December.

The Greens’ chancellor candidate, Annalena Baerbock, stressed that the coalition agreement would mean a “paradigm shift” for German politics, while Green party leader Robert Habeck said the country is now on the path “to reach the 1.5 degree target.” Earlier today, the coalition announced how the ministries will be divided between the three parties. The FDP’s Christian Lindner, for example, will take over the ministry of finance, while the ministry of economic, energy and climate protection will be filled by Habeck and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Baerbock for the Greens.

German parties seal deal on new 'traffic light' coalition

Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the business-friendly liberal FDP have finalised their coalition agreement for a new government, two months after the general elections, with Olaf Scholz to succeed Angela Merkel as the new chancellor in December. EURACTIV Germany reports.

www.euractiv.com

Look for a high body count on this one, led by the core owners and operators of Gazprom & Nord Stream 2 plus their 5 European investors, Uniper and Wintershall of Germany, OMV of Austria, Engie of France and Shell, each of whom put in EUR 1bn while Gazprom footed the other EUR 5bn of the total initial investment of EUR 10bn that because of cost overruns and delays is up to 12bn presently and with no source of income in sight or sound of 'em. This ultimate round of US sanctions will hit the big money boys whose project this is in its entirety. Turn 'em upside down and shake it all out of 'em.

 

[Tangmo]

The Greens don't want U.S. sanctions to kill NS2 certification.

Greens want EU laws and German laws to kill NS2 certification. Which is how it's going.

Europeans being, well, Europeans, even opponents of the Russo-German Axis of Energy Blackmail disapprove of the extraterritorial sanctions by the USA against European maritime and overland pipeline contractors and the myriad businesses throughout the EU that provide supplies, maritime adventurers and a broad array of support to the construction in the Baltic and across overland western Europe. These entrepreneurs and the like were greatly relieved when Potus Biden lifted the threats of sanctions this past spring.

Yet a third and conclusive round of new U.S. sanctions that will almost certainly kill NS2 on the spot have been approved by the House and are moving through the Senate to take effect early in January at the latest. The sanctions are an amendment to the '22 Defense Authorization Act so Biden will have to do the same as Trump had to do when confronted by NS2 sanctions in the Act that authorizes the Pentagon's budget, ie, sign the sucker and suck it up.

Indeed, Omid Nouripour a Greens foreign policy leader said today the U.S. needed to stay out of it....“The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was and remains a mistaken German decision, not an American decision.” The Greens agree the U.S. needs to yield to EU and German laws to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Green policy dean Jürgen Trittin reiterated just a few months ago, "The pipeline was and remains a bogus project with or without a blessing from the US president."

Free Democrats prominent foreign policy maker Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said he fears NS2 means "great damage for Germany." Lambsdorff represents FDP in wanting a moratorium until a formal treaty is drawn up and signed. "Unlike the Greens, we don't want an almost finished pipeline as an investment ruin in the Baltic Sea. But we need a watertight treaty with Russia so that it does not dry up Ukraine financially. We should make the operating license for Nord Stream 2 dependent on this."

In other words the Greens and Free Democrats agree Nord Stream 2 and Gazprom are bogus and need to be dealt with -- not by American sanctions however -- but by EU and German law which is, as I'd said, how it's going exactly and anyway. Methinks however, the congress in Washington is going to impose its anti Russia will and kill the pipeline with mandatory sanctions Biden is boxed into signing and before the German regulators or the EU Commission can act to produce the same outcome on their own. This is exactly what Biden has been attempting to prevent.

 

[Tangmo]

The Greens coleader Robert Habeck is the new vice chancellor of Germany.

The Greens in the Traffic Light Coalition had won the right to name the new vice chancellor and party leaders named Habeck to the position today. Habeck is endorsed by Greens coleader Annalena Baerbock who was the party's chancellor candidate and is the incoming Foreign Minister.

Habeck 's first statement as incoming vice chancellor is that the new government "will have to take another look" at the certification application of Nord Stream 2 AG to the German Federal Network Agency. Moreover, Habeck is already agreed to be minister of Economy, Energy & Climate that has the certification authority the Federal Network Agency in its jurisdiction.

The outgoing CDU minister of economy said barely two weeks ago the pipeline does not pose a threat to Germany's energy needs or supplies. Habeck however said today and after being named vice chancellor, “Nord Stream 2 was never just a purely private-sector project. It is a strategic project that puts Ukraine under pressure and increases the dependencies of German politics.”


Germany’s future Vice-Chancellor slams Nord Stream 2 as ‘project to pressure Ukraine’

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Greens coleaders Analena Baerbock and Robert Habeck are shown entering coalition negotiations in October. Habeck who is incoming minister of Economy, Energy, Climate was named vice chancellor today. Baerbock who was chancellor candidate is the incoming foreign minister.


Germany’s new government will have to “take another look” at the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline because it’s a “strategic project” aimed at putting Ukraine under pressure, the incoming German vice-chancellor has claimed. Speaking to Munich-based daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, Robert Habeck explained his belief that the pipeline was “never just a purely private-sector project.” Habeck, who is the co-leader of Germany’s Green Party, will also become the Minister of Economics and Energy. In this role, he will be in control of the Federal Network Agency, the body responsible for the approval procedure of the pipeline. “Nord Stream 2 was never just a purely private-sector project,” Habeck said. “It is a strategic project that puts Ukraine under pressure and increases the dependencies of German politics.”



German Greens slam new US sanctions on Nord Stream 2

Certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator must be completed before the pipeline can be commissioned. Last week, the German regulator suspended the certification procedure, recommending that Nord Stream 2 create a German subsidiary, which must then resubmit a complete set of documents. Despite the Green Party’s opposition to Nord Stream 2, it has also been against America’s interference in the project. On Tuesday, Omid Nouripour, a foreign policy spokesman for its parliamentary faction, slammed new sanctions imposed by Washington as “unacceptable.” “What kind of friendship are they striving for if they impose sanctions against friends when they do business with a third party?” Nouripour asked. “The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was and remains a mistaken German decision, not an American decision.”

Germany’s future Vice-Chancellor slams Nord Stream 2 as ‘project to pressure Ukraine’ — RT Russia & Former Soviet U

Germany’s new government will have to “take another look” at the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline because it’s a

the-voiceof-london.uk

The White House is meanwhile working overtime trying to convince senators not to join in the House approved new sanctions against certification of NS2 that the House added as an amendment to the must sign 2022 Defense Department Authorization Budget presently moving through the Senate. The House sanctions are mandatory and remove the waiver authority of the Potus over implementing sanctions.

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Democrat Robert Menendez has been the most powerful Democratic party voice in the Senate favoring sanctions against the pipeline. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen a senior Democrat and committee member is the most active democrat for sanctions against the Putin Pet Pipeline. Sen. Jim Risch the senior Republican on the Committee has introduced the House version for Senate approval. The Senate is expected to approve the House amendment within the next week or so.

If new mandatory sanctions are sent to the WH, they would slam NS 2 AG itself, Gazprom itself and the five big bucks European investors two of which are German. In short, investment ruin.

 

[Tangmo]

This is the pathetic product of the fast exiting Merkel-Scholz coalition government that is the Russia Hugging tandem of CDU & SPD and that remains fierce to impose the NS2 pipeline onto the EU & against NATO -- Merkel as chancellor and Scholz as the vice chancellor.

As we are seeing however their dayze are done as the Greens and FDP begin to make their moves to break the monopoly the pipeline project is and to "unbundle" NS2 into a diverse association of separate companies that are completely independent of the Kremlin Mafia of Energy and Geopolitics.


Axios

Germany urges Congress not to sanction Putin’s pipeline​

The German government has urged members of Congress not to sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, according to documents obtained by Axios. At a time when roughly 100,000 Russian troops are massing at its border, Ukraine views Nord Stream 2 as an existential threat to its security. The pipeline would circumvent Ukrainian transit infrastructure and deliver Russian gas directly to Germany, eliminating one of the last deterrents Ukraine has against an invasion.

In an attempt to reassure Congress, the German embassy in Washington privately detailed what retaliatory action against Russia could look like in a "non-paper," which is typically used in closed discussions to convey candid policy positions. The paper is intended to show how serious Germany is about its commitments in the July joint statement, which the Biden administration has held up as the basis for waiving sanctions. But it will do little to satisfy Ukraine or Nord Stream's critics on Capitol Hill.

Germany urges Congress not to sanction Nord Stream 2, calling it a "victory for Putin"

Senate Republicans are pushing for new sanctions against the Putin-backed pipeline.

www.axios.com

The done and virtually gone government of CDU&SPD have issued a big meow of "retaliatory action" against Putin's Pet Pipeline Project of energy blackmail against EU & NATO. Item #1 of 'retaliatory action' would be "strong public messages" of condemnation plus "assessing" the suspension of future political meetings. Like, wow, yet that's not all. Further scaring the pants off the Kremlin Geostrategic Mafia is "reviewing possible restrictions" on future Russian fossil fuel projects but not including Nord Stream 2, so that ought to show 'em eh.

And Germany being the Big Boss of the EU could whip the union into "the process to actively identify options for additional restrictive measures" that go unidentified as even prospective. All of which puts the Germans approaching Moscow under a white flag is what it does.

Besides when the German government can actively tell the American congress how to vote on a geostrategic issue driven by the Russian Mafia and that is detrimental to NATO member states then the U.S. government can take a position on the issue that moreover is both active and consequential.

 

[Tangmo]

Virtually everything Vladimir Putin touches is either a weapon already or gets turned into a weapon. This is true already of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Yet all Putin's campaign of blackmail against the EU has got him is the German energy regulator suspending the certification processes of the pipeline until Gazprom complies with German laws, rules, regs and then, successively, EU laws, rules, regs.

In short, Putin and Gazprom will need to comply with EU anti monopoly laws, rules, regs in each country where the overland NS2 pipeline has been constructed. If, that is, NS2 ever complies with the German energy regulator, the Federal Network Agency that is located in the Energy Ministry that is getting the Greens coleader Robert Habeck as its new minister...

EU regulations may yet disarm Vladimir Putin’s pipeline weapon​

Kremlin has become noticeably bolder in its weaponization of energy supplies during the second half of 2021. Russia’s refusal to meet growing European demand helped spark an energy crisis and drove gas prices to record highs while leaving Europe’s gas storage facilities dangerously empty as the winter season approached. With this show of strength, Putin appears to have been hoping to pressure Germany into the rapid certification of Nord Stream 2. However, he may have overplayed his hand...these efforts will likely prove no match for the European Union’s anti-trust laws and regulatory system.

Gazprom argues that the official pipeline owner of Nord Stream 2 is a separate Swiss subsidiary. Besides, Switzerland is not part of the EU. Instead, the regulator has insisted the pipeline be subject to German laws. In order to comply, Gazprom must transfer the pipeline to a German-based subsidiary. The entity must also be financially and legally independent from its Russian parent. The significance of this regulatory regime should not be underestimated. The German regulator is autonomous and will supervise the new German Nord Stream 2 company on its territory. It has the power to prohibit and fine unlawful behavior. More importantly, the European Commission must approve any new ownership arrangement and will likely require that the same de-linking of ownership (a process known as “unbundling”) be imposed on Gazprom in all EU countries. The EU Parliament has voted [580-52] against Nord Stream 2 specifically because of concerns that Russian control of the pipeline would imperil the continent’s future energy security.

EU regulations may yet disarm Vladimir Putin’s pipeline weapon

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing hard to secure fast track certification for his Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but these efforts will likely prove no match for the EU’s anti-trust laws and regulatory system.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

Yet Handelsblatt which is a strongly pro Merkel newspaper is reporting that the Kremlin may go ahead and begin delivering gas via its pipeline system under the Baltic and overland throughout western Europe without the required certification. The only legal punishment for this under German and EU law alike is a EUR 1 million fine. So Putin would win after all.

Which is why U.S. new sanctions are required to stop the project cold and dead in its tracks. The third and final round of U.S. sanctions against NS2 would hit NS2 itself, Gazprom itself and the 5 giant corporate investors in Europe, to include the two in Germany. It would be like a Roach Motel where the NS2 roaches check in but don't ever check out.

 

[Tangmo]

Buffalo Biden got stopped in the Democratic Party contolled U.S. Senate yesterday in the WH effort to kill proposed new sanctions against the NS2 owners Gazprom, their pipeline operator NS 2 AG and the 5 giant European corporate investors in the project, to include two German energy behemoths.

The Democratic Party controlled House of Representatives last week sent the bill to the Senate after its unanimous approval of the sanctions amendment. New sanctions would be mandatory while also removing the authority of the Potus to waive 'em.

The proposed amendment would be attached to the must do Defense Authorization Budget for 2022. Bison Biden has been strongly lobbying fellow Democrats in the Senate to kill the proposed amendment. Buffalo Biden needed 60 votes yet he got only 45 -- which is like losing a high scoring world football match 4-6 in regular time.

U.S. Senate Blocks Defense Spending Bill​

As Republicans Push For Sanctions Over Nord Stream 2​

The U.S. Senate blocked an annual defense spending bill on November 29 amid objections from Republicans who said there had not been enough votes on amendments, including one that would have imposed sanctions over Nord Stream 2. The controversial pipeline has vocal opponents in the U.S. Congress. An effort to cut off debate on the Senate version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act resulted in a 45-51 vote, well short of the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate. Among the objectors, Sen. Risch (Republican-Idaho) and Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) called for a vote on their Nord Stream 2 sanctions proposal.

Leader of the Republican Party minority in the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell who favors new sanctions on the owners, operators and financiers of Nord Stream 2.


Ahead of the procedural vote, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky) vowed to oppose advancing the bill further without progress on Republican demands for sanctions over Nord Stream 2. "Considering sanctions on the pipeline that fuels Putin's encroachment over Europe, including provisions that closely mirror language that the House added unanimously, is certainly worth the Senate's time," McConnell said. Despite bipartisan backing for sanctions, the Biden administration opposes them, arguing they would alienate European allies. House and Senate leaders have said they aim to send the amended bill to President Joe Biden for his signature before the end of the year.

U.S. Senate Blocks Defense Spending Bill As Republicans Push For Sanctions Over Nord Stream 2

The U.S. Senate blocked an annual defense spending bill on November 29 amid objections from Republicans who said there had not been enough votes on amendments, including one that would have imposed sanctions over Nord Stream 2.

www.rferl.org

What Biden is missing is that Germany is now a Putin ally as much as it is a founding partner of NATO. The Russo-German Axis of Energy Blackmail is proof positive of the hard fact. NS2 proves conclusively that Germany continues to insist on being the Fatherland of Europe while Russia longs to be Europe's Motherland. And that each together are working hand in hand using NS2.

 

[Tangmo]

John Herbst who published this today is director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, a former US ambassador to Ukraine and recent director of the Center for Complex Operations at the National Defense University, Ft. Leslie J. McNair, Washington DC.

Biden’s gift to Putin: Pressuring Democrats on Nord Stream 2 pipeline​

It’s an enormous geopolitical gift to a hostile Kremlin. Team Biden is hoping party loyalty will trump US national-security interests. Democrats are in this unenviable position because Berlin has proven an uncooperative partner. Months of talks, and the most the White House achieved was a very weak July joint statement saying “Germany will take action, including sanctions, to ensure that Russia will not misuse any pipeline, to achieve aggressive political ends by using energy as a weapon.” Since that statement was issued, Moscow began to do the inevitable: use gas as a political weapon. And what was Germany’s reaction to Moscow’s mischief? Chancellor Angela Merkel saw no evil. Russia is not responsible for Europe’s higher gas prices was all she could muster.

At the end of the day, Germany believes it holds an ace because allies do not sanction allies. This ignores that the company benefiting from the president’s sanctions waiver, Nord Stream 2 AG, is Swiss [and that the owner of NS2 is Gazprom, which is Russian]. More important, it ignores that the greatest danger to US and trans-Atlantic interests Nord Stream 2 poses is that the project will enhance the Kremlin’s already considerable [and jolly welcomed by SPD & CDU] malign influence in Germany.

Biden’s gift to Putin: Pressuring Democrats on Nord Stream 2 pipeline

President Joe Biden is flip-flopping his stance on Russia by trying to deter a major Kremlin invasion of Ukraine — all while handing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in a gift basket, John Herb…

nypost.com

Nord Stream 2 is Merkel’s biggest mistake, says ex-EU Council president​

The decision to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was the biggest mistake of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish news outlet PAP reported the former president of the European Council Donald Tusk as saying at a recent conference.

Nord Stream 2 is Merkel’s biggest mistake, says ex-EU Council president

The decision to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was the biggest mistake of Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish news outlet PAP reported the former president of the European Council Donald Tusk as saying at a recent conference.

www.offshore-energy.biz

 

[Tangmo]

U.S. Senate leaders of both parties have agreed to have a classic "side by side" amendment on proposed new Nord Stream 2 sanctions that would hit the pipeline owners and financiers. This signals that Senators pro and con new sanctions will compromise, i.e., they'll see it Biden's way.

Senate Democrats are thereby expected to vote the new pipeline busting sanctions but allow Biden the option of not implementing them. This is a major change to the amendment approved unanimously by the House to eliminate the president's waiver authority while making the new sanctions mandatory. So mandatory is out while the president's waiver authority is back in.

The upshot is that U.S. new radical sanctions against Gazprom, NS2 and European and Russian financiers of the pipeline will be voted by the Senate but Potus will continue to get his authority to waive the sanctions, which Biden has made clear he will do. Although the House voted unanimously for the sanctions amendment and key House members continue to hold to that, Speaker Pelosi yielded to the Bison Biden as Potus and the Senate Democratic Party leader Sen. Schumer of New York state.

So Biden will continue with his original design which is to leave the status of the pipeline to the laws, rules, regs of the German regulators and of the European Commission. Indeed, while both the SPD & CDU are for the pipeline, German regulators are not. Likewise for the European Commission, ie, they're also opposed as one can see by the rules and regs the Commission has developed once the pipeline began being constructed. Biden's calculus has always been that the regulators in Berlin and Brussels will break up the pipeline so that the Kremlin has only isolated pieces of it while other energy corporations chosen by regulators transit the gas and distribute it. Europeans call this dissemination "unbundling."

 

[Tangmo]

Many Europeans are looking to Germany under the new coalition government in waiting to change Germany's pro Russia and cold toward the West attitudes, approaches, policies and goals as pursued by Putin's BFF Angela Merkel the former East German-USSR communist.

​

NATO Allies Want German Pivot on Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline​

Merkel, Schroderovsky at left, Gazprom and the European energy giant investors launch Nord Stream pipeline 10 years ago. At far right back row is Matthias Warnig the executive director of NS2 who is a Putin BFF from their dayze in the Cold War East Germany DDR when Putin was KGB and Warnig was Stasi. So with Warnig involved it was old times for he and the former East German communist Merkel.


Several of Germany's NATO allies are urging the incoming coalition government to re-evaluate the controversial Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline. According to critics, the approximately $10.75 billion project will also seriously undermine European Union and NATO security, handing Moscow a potent new weapon in its ongoing struggle with the West and further isolating Ukraine. Latvia's Foreign Ministry told Newsweek that a change in German posture could be on the cards. "It is clear that changes might be expected in comparison to the previous course of Angela Merkel," the ministry said. Germany's new leading figures are clearly skeptical of Russia's motives.


Green Party MEP Reinhard Butikofer told a press briefing this week there is "clearly a new approach" to Russia from the incoming government. "This government is not willing to condone a policy that would go over the heads of our Eastern European partners, as Germany has in the past, and in particular with regards to Nord Stream 2," Butikofer said. "The outgoing government and its predecessors had always politically supported Nord Stream 2," Butikofer told journalists. "Nord Stream 2 should be judged under the auspices of European energy legislation." Germany's new three-party coalition government—if approved by parliament—will be led by the Social Democratic Party's Olaf Scholz as chancellor. Scholz has previously warned that Nord Stream 2 could be cut off "just like that" if Putin abuses the pipeline. Greens co-leader and nominated Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, meanwhile, has led her party's fierce opposition to the project. In October, Baerbock said Germany "can't allow ourselves to be blackmailed" by Moscow, accusing Putin of playing a "poker game" and intentionally exacerbating Europe's gas supply crisis. Fellow Greens co-leader Robert Habeck—nominated to lead a new climate and economy super ministry—has previously said that Nord Stream 2 would likely not be approved by regulators. The pro-business Free Democrats party leader Christian Lindner called for a moratorium on Nord Stream 2 in January over Russian human rights abuses against political dissidents.

NATO Allies Want German Pivot on Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

Critics say the natural gas pipeline will allow Russia to hold Europe hostage while isolating Ukraine.

www.newsweek.com

These are values based concerns and issues which stands in a sharp contrast to the Putin-Merkel Axis of Undermining EU & NATO while favoring a shared and apportioned industrial and agricultural liebensraum in a Russian conquered Ukraine.

 

[Tangmo]

Bundestag will convene Wednesday Dec. 8th in a Special Organizing Session to approve the new chancellor and ministers of the new Traffic Light coalition government of SPD, Greens, Free Democrats. So it's in with the new and out with the old. Indeed, the outgoing fat lady chancellor will sing -- at long last. And bring the House down on her most welcome exit as a dedicated Putin BFF.

Have no doubt Germany is on board for this. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has met with each the outgoing German government and the incoming new coalition government and says he has all of his ducks in a row, as it were, to include Italy, France, UK in addition to the US and Germany.

Nord Stream 2 pipeline under threat if Russia invades Ukraine -U.S. officials​

U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday the West is concerned Russia will invade Ukraine and warned of “strong economic and other measures” as punishment should Moscow start a military conflict, the White House said. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the fact that gas was not yet flowing through Nord Stream 2 created leverage for the West over Putin. “If Vladimir Putin wants to see gas flow through that pipeline, he may not want to take the risk of invading Ukraine,” Sullivan told reporters at the White House.

Sullivan said the United States had been in touch with the outgoing and incoming German governments about Nord Stream 2 in the context of a potential invasion. “The subject of the future of Nord Stream 2 in the context of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia in the coming weeks is a topic of utmost priority. It has been discussed thoroughly,” he said. “If the U.S. imposes (additional) sanctions, no one will be able to do business with Nord Stream 2 for fear of running afoul of U.S. sanctions.”

Nord Stream 2 pipeline under threat if Russia invades Ukraine -U.S. officials – Metro US

<div class="at-above-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.metro.us/nord-stream-2-pipeline/"></div>WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. officials have told members of Congress they have an understanding with Germany about shutting down the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine...

www.metro.us

So the German energy regulator suspending possible certification and procedures of NS2 last month becomes critical at this point, ie, nothing is happening for Gazprom so nothing needs to be stopped. It's stopped already. Putin goes into Ukraine militarily and in a big way he's facing Nord Stream 2 investment ruin.

Worse, Biden made clear to Putin that the EU and NATO allied countries will block Russian banks and institutions of finance from the SWIFT global processing system in Belgium that transacts $5 Trillion daily and would close off Russia's financial system to the world. Interesting that Medvedev said several years ago that if Russia the massive nuclear power were closed off from SWIFT it would respond in the most ultimate way. That's how serious it would be for Russia to be closed off from SWIFT.

 

[Tangmo]

Scholz isn't giving much time or voice to his sinking ship called Nord Stream 2. During the campaign and up to the present media has had to twist Scholz's arm just so he'd whisper that he supports Putin's Pet Pipeline. Scholz is lying low and saying little or nothing about the pipeline.

Scholz in fact left Biden with the impression during a phone conversation he'd stop the pipeline if Putin invaded or otherwise entered Ukraine. Yet a German government spokesperson said no, that no such promise, hint, suggestion or firm statement was ever made by Scholz. So when I saw I had waffles for breakfast today I thought of Scholz.

How German Bureaucracy, Not Scholz, Could Hobble Nord Stream 2​

(Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, under pressure from the U.S. to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, may quietly delegate the task to the country’s bureaucracy. Germany’s regulator and the EU Commission, two institutions not known for their speed, have to give the green light. Certification from Germany’s Bundesnetzagentur, or Federal Network Agency -- is a back-and-forth that could take six to eight months. The approval clock stopped in mid-November, though, when the network agency froze the process to allow pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG to set up a German company to comply with local and EU regulations. The process can only resume once Gazprom brings its Nord Stream 2 operations into compliance. The German agency has so far had no indication when the necessary documents will arrive, a spokesman said.

Putin arrives in St. Petersburg on Nov.17, 2017 for the 70th birthday celebration of his German BFF Gerhard Schroederovsky the former SPD chancellor of Germany who with only hours remaining in his term signed Germany up for Nord Stream then became chairman of the board of Nord Stream AG. Schroeder is said to be Putin's Grand Prize in his strategy of State Capture of national elites, Germany foremost among them.


Scholz, a lawyer and a 40-year veteran of German politics, knows how slowly the wheels of the country’s bureaucracy can turn. For Nord Stream 2, the longer the certification takes, the less pressure he’ll feel to intervene on the political side. U.S. intelligence calculates that Russia could invade Ukraine with as many as 175,000 troops in early 2022, possibly at the end of January -- or several months before the Bundesnetzagentur is expected to have completed its deliberations. That’s given Scholz, in just his first week in office, some breathing room. A German government official denied U.S. claims that Berlin has signaled to Washington it would halt Nord Stream 2 if Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine. There’s no need for such a assurance at this point, the official said, under the condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential: as long as the fate of the pipeline lies with the regulators, Scholz’s government has no mechanism to intervene. Biden and Scholz spoke on Friday. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also spoke with Germany’s new finance minister, Christian Lindner, about ways the U.S. could “impose severe costs on Russia’s economy” should tensions between Ukraine and Russia worsen.

How German Bureaucracy, Not Scholz, Could Hobble Nord Stream 2 - BNN Bloomberg

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, under pressure from the U.S. to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project over Russian aggression toward Ukraine, may quietly delegate the task to the country’s bureaucracy.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

The major problem is that while Biden is delusional Scholz is a turtle withdrawn inside his shell. Indeed some reports suggested Scholz's old pal the SPD former chancellor Gerhard Schroderovsky who's chairman of NS2 and director of Rosneft, and who was in the VIP gallery when Scholz was elevated to chancellor, had to use bloodhounds to find Scholz to congratulate him and to have a few words, probably about how lucrative life in Russia can be for an SPD former chancellor of Germany who plays on Putin's terms.

 

[Tangmo]

Scholz the turtle has reemerged from inside his shell which is good given he's apparently authorized his subordinate foreign minister Annalena Baerbock an apparent free field against NS2. It's clearly a previously agreed but unannounced coalition approach to Russia, Ukraine, the USA, EU, NATO and NS2.

So I'll reiterate that it's my view shared among the many that Putin fears Baerbock more than any German political figure in the government and, indeed, in all of Europe. The Putin-Merkel / Russo-German Axis is no more.

Germany Threatens To Shutter Nord Stream In Case of Ukraine “Escalation”​

Dec 13, 2021

Germany will freeze the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in case of any “escalation” between Russia and Ukraine, the new German foreign minister said, citing an agreement between her country and the United States. "In the event of further escalation this gas pipeline could not come into service," Annalena Baerbock told German media, as quoted by AFP. The remarks follow a comment from Germany’s new Chancellor Olaf Scholtz that "It would be a serious mistake to believe that violating the borders of a European country would remain without consequences."

Meanwhile, the certification process for the infrastructure has been suspended by the German authorities because the pipeline must have an operator that is incorporated under German law. This means that the commissioning of the pipeline could be delayed even further because after Germany approves it—if it does—the project will have to go to the European Commission, which would be tasked with making sure it complies with EU regulations.

Germany Threatens To Shutter Nord Stream In Case of Ukraine “Escalation” | OilPrice.com

Germany will freeze the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in case of any “escalation” between Russia and Ukraine, the new German foreign minister said, citing an agreement between her country and the United States

oilprice.com

The German energy regulator the Federal Network in simple English suspended its process of NS 2 pipeline certification last month because the Swiss incorporated company must set up in Germany under German laws, rules, regs. This means the principal officers and resources of Nord Stream 2 AG currently located in Switzerland must relocate to Germany.

The difference comes however because Kremlin Mafia says they'll get a bunch of Germans to staff a subsidiary office in Germany of NS 2 AG. The regulator says this is not only insufficient, it is dismissive of the regulator's authority, duty, obligation to uphold German law.

Worse for Gazprom that owns the NS2 pipeline operator is that the EU Commission is going to require the same thing in each EU country that hosts the pipeline. Principal officers and resources of the pipeline will need to set up in each EU member state where the pipeline operates. Gazprom wants to staff the offices with local hack loyalists in each state where the pipeline operates.

Hence Putin's campaign to try to blackmail Germany and the EU Commission to certify the pipeline immediately and unconditionally -- a faux pas campaign that is a failure already.

 

[Tangmo]

Methinks Putin is unlike the Godfather Don Corleone who insisted on hearing bad news immediately.

Indeed, Putin doesn't want to hear bad news at all, not ever.

Yet bad news is all Putin has been getting since the Ampere Coalition began negotiations to form the new government Germany has consequent to the federal election Sept. 26th.

So the hits just keep on comin'....

EU regulations may yet disarm Vladimir Putin’s pipeline weapon​

---

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently pushing hard to secure fast track certification for his Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but these efforts will likely prove no match for the European Union’s anti-trust laws and regulatory system. On November 17, a German regulator ordered Russia’s gas giant, Gazprom, to comply with EU anti-trust restrictions. This requirement strikes at the heart of Putin’s pipeline scheme because it has the potential to drastically reduce his ability to control Europe’s energy market, play favourites, punish countries, and isolate Ukraine. In line with EU regulatory requirements, Gazprom cannot direct its pipeline subsidiary to deploy abusive practices such as price fixing, predatory pricing, price discrimination, or monopolization.


Gazprom argues that the official pipeline owner of Nord Stream 2 AG is a separate Swiss subsidiary. However, Switzerland is not part of the EU, which means its companies can flout EU laws and regulations. Instead, the regulator has insisted the pipeline be subject to German laws. In order to comply, Gazprom must transfer the pipeline to a German-based subsidiary. The entity must also be financially and legally independent from its Russian parent. The German regulator is autonomous and will supervise the new German Nord Stream 2 company on its territory. It has the power to prohibit and fine unlawful behaviour. More importantly, the European Commission must approve any new ownership arrangement and will likely require that the same de-linking of ownership (a process known as “unbundling”) be imposed on Gazprom in all EU countries. The EU Parliament has voted against Nord Stream 2 [580-52] specifically because of concerns that Russian control of the pipeline would imperil the continent’s future energy security.

EU regulations may yet disarm Vladimir Putin’s pipeline weapon

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently pushing hard to secure fast track certification for his Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but these efforts will likely prove no match for the European Union’s anti-trust laws and regulatory system. On November 17, a German regulator ordered Russia’s gas...

informnapalm.org

Investment Ruin.

 

[Tangmo]

More hits still yet....

German Foreign Minister: Nord Stream 2 cannot be commissioned​

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Germany's new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, currently sees no reason to commission the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. In their agreement, the parties of the German government "traffic light coalition" established a provision that European energy legislation applies to all energy projects, including Nord Stream 2, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, emphasized. "And this means that in its current form, this pipeline cannot be approved, since it does not meet the requirements of European energy legislation, and security issues also remain unresolved," Baerbock said. Touching upon the topic of the Ukrainian conflict, Baerbock in an interview with ZDF stressed that the recognition of "Ukraine’s sovereignty remains the basis for all our actions and for all negotiations" with Russia.

German Foreign Minister: Nord Stream 2 cannot be commissioned

Germany's new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, currently sees no reason to commission the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This gas pipeline does not yet comply with the norms of European energy legislation, said Baerbock on the air of the ZDF television channel. In addition...

uawire.org

This hit a day now must be getting painful for Putin who also must be missing his German and European BFF Angela.

The happy couple used to arrive for dinner with friends during better times. Indeed, the good times of the Putin-Merkel Geostrategic Axis are over -- done and gone.

Kaput.

 

[Tangmo]

Putin and his Kremlin Mafia energizer bunnies keep trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat.

Now they're talking loudly about initiating gas flows through NS2 without certification, and of doing it next month. This would of course be a blatant violation of EU laws and German laws too, to operate without a license. And Putin with his Russian Mob know the only legal punishment they could suffer is the EUR 1million fine for doing it.

Indeed, a lunging desperation has seized the Kremlin after the German regulator said Thursday it won't have a decision on certification before July....

Russian Lawmaker: Nord Stream 2 Could Become Operational Next Month​

The Russia-led Nord Stream 2 pipeline could start shipping natural gas to Germany as early as next month, as Europe would not want to drag its feet with the certification process with storage levels so low, a top Russian lawmaker said on Friday. "I can say with a high degree of certainty that the first gas via Nord Stream 2 will go in January," Pavel Zavalny, chairman of the energy committee at Russia's lower house of Parliament, told a conference online, as carried by Reuters.

The head of the energy committee at Russia's Parliament said, "Why am I sure about this? First of all, the timing for it (certification) is up in January. And it's not in the interests of Germany and other European Union's countries to drag on with this process further." Gas in Europe's storage facilities will have declined by January, which would be another incentive for Germany and the EU not to delay the certification, Zavalny said. Nord Stream 2 is awaiting full regulatory clearance from Germany and a review by the European Union over its compliance with EU energy regulations.

Russian Lawmaker: Nord Stream 2 Could Become Operational Next Month | OilPrice.com

The Russia-led Nord Stream 2 pipeline could start shipping natural gas to Germany as early as next month

oilprice.com

So it looks now like Putin is getting out his sledge hammer to try and scare the Germany regulators to immediately certify his pipeline torpedo from out of the Baltic into Germany and Europe by forcing an unconditional approval of NS2 as it is, ie, a geostrategic monopoly of politics and economics.

Chancellor Scholz visiting Paris and Pres. Macron threw in with Baerbock with his own take:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany's Federal Network Agency (BNA) was not trying to bring any political motives into the certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as the main operator of Nord Stream 2. This is a commercial project, the implementation of which has advanced to the point of the completion of its construction. Germany feels "very responsible" for Ukraine to remain a gas transit country, the new German chancellor said.




Kremlin Mafia went on to howl about it and to also complain about Scholz in statements published by Pravda...

It does not look like Olaf Scholz is being sincere in his statements. How can it be a non-political project if it [is] about Ukraine? Can the project be commercial if it does not bring any profit yet? Nord Stream 2 has long become a political project, and the West has contributed a lot to it. The Europeans should finally come to realise that Ukraine will remain a gas transit country only when the current Ukrainian regime changes. Russia does not want to support its adversaries in Ukraine financially.

Читайте больше на https://english.pravda.ru/world/149903-russia_nord_stream/

 

[Tangmo]

Greens coleader Robert Habeck who is vice chancellor and energy minister has fired another Ampere government cannonade over the Kremlin....

Nord Stream 2: German minister warns Russia over Ukraine​

Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck said Germany could halt the controversial pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine. He also called the project a "geopolitical mistake."

Robert Habeck

German Economic Affairs and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck has warned Russia of "severe consequences" and threatened to halt the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, if Moscow were to attack Ukraine. "Any new military action cannot remain without severe consequences," he told the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, referring to Russian troop deployment on the Ukrainian border. Habeck warned that "nothing can be excluded," including blocking the pipeline from operation, if "there is a new violation of the territorial integrity" of Ukraine. "In the event of further escalation this gas pipeline could not come into service," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier this week. Habeck added: "From a geopolitical point of view, the pipeline is a mistake… All the countries were against it except Germany and Austria."

Nord Stream 2: German minister warns Russia over Ukraine – DW – 12/18/2021

Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck said Germany could halt the controversial pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine. He also called the project a "geopolitical mistake."

www.dw.com

Pipe Dreams. From the Start. To the bitter end.


The Putin-Merkel BFF Axis is chewing dust at this point.

Indeed, the deeper and harder Putin and His Kremlin Mafia go into Gazprom/NS2 blackmail and extortion against Europe, EU, NATO the more firm and forward the Europeans get, led by the new Ampere government in Germany. The new coalition in Berlin knows what Merkel did not care about, ie, all of Europe is against this pipeline from hell that would put Europe into the hands and control of the devil himself sitting inside the Kremlin.

 

[Tangmo]

US Senate will vote no later than Jan. 14 on devastating new sanctions against NS2. It's the package of mandatory sanctions approved by the US House. The impending sanctions are mandatory plus the waiver authority of the Potus is removed from this package. That is, Biden is mandated to apply the sanctions immediately on the law taking its immediate effect -- he has no other option than to implement the sanctions law.

The vote being scheduled means Sen. Ted Cruz the Texas Republican has run over Potus Biden with a truck. Indeed, Biden opposed the new sanctions and worked hard to get his fellow Democrats in the Senate to kill 'em. Yet the Democratic Party majority leader Sen. Schumer of New York state has scheduled the Jan 14 vote. Schumer did this just yesterday.

Those in the know who will speak say the Senate has the votes to adopt the amendment to the must pass Defense Authorization Act for 2022. Congress virtually always approves the DAA by the end of the previous year, so this is unusual.

It's unusual because of the assault the Biden administration mustered against the House passed version that was initially in the bill the Senate received after the House adopted the radical sanctions amendment to the NDAA. Biden and SecState Antony Blinken had got the Senate led by Democrats to remove the House amendment of new and mandatory sanctions and to restore the presidents authority to waive sanctions.

Then Sen. Cruz who had been biding his time all year started throwing his accumulation of bombs. Cruz has been blocking Senate confirmation votes on some 50 Biden executive appointments to the government. Cruz had been accumulating blocked nominations throughout the year. So Cruz pounced at the right moment, ie, when the House severe sanctions amendment had been removed from the Senate bill at the direction of Biden. Cruz offered to unblock the nearly 50 nominations he'd been holding up all year in return for the restoration of the hard hitting amendment adopted by the House and that Senate Democrats had removed under pressure from Biden.

That explains the white flag behind Biden's desk today. It also accounts for the big smile the dour and sour dork Sen.. Cruz is showing so suddenly. Biden has his nearly 50 appointments in effect and Cruz has his new devastating sanctions against the pipeline. And it accounts for Putin shatting his pants this morning because the new sanctions themselves will kill his precious pipeline no matter what the Europeans do, to include the new Traffic Light coalition government in Berlin.

Indeed, while the Scholz coalition is only talking about killing NS2 if Putin acts militarily against Ukraine, the new (3rd round) of US sanctions to be approved Jan. 14 kills the pipeline on their taking effect, ie, on the day during the ten dayze Potus has to sign the NDAA that will include the amendment to slay the NS2 dragon.

 

[Tangmo]

There is definitely a lesson for the US. Trump was right on all points. Trump the man is a difficult proposition, but there is no reason why rejecting the man entails rejecting his policies; it is a lot like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Rosemary's Baby

 

[Tangmo]

Kremlin Mafia & Gazprom are currently engaged in a desperate and massive last minute propaganda campaign in all forms of media from social to MSM in trying to reverse the inertia that is choke holding Nord Stream 2.

Three facts are gagging Putin's Pet Pipeline Project that stands immobile, still, silent. One is the German regulator who in mid November suspended the certification process until July at the soonest.

The second is the new coalition government in Berlin that has a signed tri-party agreement on NS2 that all European laws must be met for the project to be commissioned by Germany -- hence the subsequent suspension by the regulator.

Third is the upcoming vote in the US Senate that is expected in January to mandate US sanctions against Gazprom, NS2 and its five Big Bucks European energy investors -- killer sanctions that will all but shipwreck the project.

European Insurers Wary of Rising Threat of Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 Pipeline​

Nord Stream 2 emergency shutdown system at its landfall site in Griefswald Germany. Analysts note the pipeline system has to start before it can be shutdown for any reason, and that start it has not done nor does it show any signs of ever starting.


A simmering threat of sanctions against the operator of the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks shutting off cover from European insurers for the politically sensitive project. “I don’t think any insurers will touch this project with a barge pole,” said Leigh Hansson, a partner at law firm Reed Smith. Worries over fresh sanctions led top European insurers AXA and Zurich and reinsurer Munich Re to pull out of insuring the construction this year. Without cover, the pipeline operator could also be exposed to costs for damage, delays or litigation and find it harder to secure loans.

But lawyers and political risk analysts say the chances of sanctions being imposed has been heightened as a build-up of troops on Ukrainian borders fuels fears of a Russian invasion. European insurers, such as Lloyd’s of London Chief Executive John Neal said “We need to be hugely respectful of sanctions.” Munich Re CEO Joachim Wenning told Reuters it is not currently involved with Nord Stream 2 due to sanctions issues. Zurich said it placed high priority on sanctions compliance. AXA declined to comment. Allianz, Europe’s biggest insurer, said the German firm followed “all sanctions regimes very thoroughly.” With construction complete, insurance for the pipeline itself would protect against problems such as property damage, business interruption and directors and officers liability. Nigel Kushner, chief executive of London law firm W Legal, says “Who in their right minds will jump into something and finance something and provide support to something, because there is a risk they may be sanctioned? Insurers are prudent, and I think they will be reticent.”

European Insurers Wary of Rising Threat of Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

A simmering threat of sanctions against the operator of the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks shutting off cover from European insurers for the

www.insurancejournal.com

15 Insurers Stop Doing Business with Nord Stream 2 Pipeline to Avoid Sanctions: Reuters​

15 Insurers Stop Doing Business with Nord Stream 2 Pipeline to Avoid Sanctions: Reuters

Baker Hughes Co and AXA Group and 16 other companies recently quit work on Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and will not be sanctioned,

www.insurancejournal.com

Putin the notoriously successful international assassin has however become a failed international blackmailer.