Trump To Europe: Drop Nord Stream Or We Won't Protect You From Russia

4191

President Donald Trump delivered a forceful rebuke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a bilateral breakfast ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels

Фото: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

“We’re supposed to protect you from Russia, but Germany is making pipeline deals with Russia. You tell me if that’s appropriate. Explain that.”

With this tirade delivered to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoletenberg, Donald Trump began his visit to the annual summit of NATO allies in Brussels. It was an extraordinary departure from normal diplomatic protocol. For the first time, a U.S. president was openly acknowledging NATO’s role as a military protectorate over Europe in the post-Cold-War era, rather than keeping a pretense of an alliance of equals. It was also the first time that a U.S. president has so explicitly linked America’s economic interests to America’s offer of military protection.

Russian gas

Germany has approved a new pipeline to carry Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, but construction is being blocked at European Union level, where Eastern European countries have formed a blocking majority against it. Germany, along with transit countries Finland, Sweden and Denmark (who have also approved the pipeline), say the pipeline will increase Europe's energy security by avoiding potential cut-offs from the volatile Ukrainian route.

But the Eastern Europeans led by Poland, backed by Washington, say the new pipeline represents a threat to Europe's security because it makes the EU more dependent on Russian gas. Washington believes the pipeline is a Russian attempt to punish Ukraine by bypassing the pipeline that currently runs under the country.

Moscow counters that the U.S. is not so much concerned with Europe’s energy security as it is with its own profits. U.S. energy giants are hoping to export surplus from the shale gas boom to Europe via liquified natural gas (LNG) on ships, and countries on the Baltic Sea have been constructing LNG port terminals to receive this new bonanza. Washington is using geopolitics as a smoke screen to keep open potential export markets, Moscow says.

Germany is also distrustful of the U.S. motivations and wants to crack on with building the pipeline, which would run alongside an existing pipeline called Nord Stream 1. Berlin does not want to see another winter where gas deliveries are disrupted by disputes between Russia and Ukraine.

Brussels has been caught in the middle. Although it first appeared the Commission would leave the matter to the countries in which the construction will take place, after vocal complaints by Poland, it asked all 28 EU member states to come to a unanimous agreement on a negotiating mandate with Russia.

Economic blackmail

As with the escalating trade war between the U.S. and EU, Stoltenberg had hoped to keep the Nord Stream issue out of the NATO summit. Asked about Trump's forceful comments following his press point with the U.S. president, Stoltenberg again urged the U.S. president to keep these issues out of the summit.

"There are different views on the Nord Stream pipeline, that’s well known," he said. "But it’s not for NATO to decide, this is a national position."

He conceded however, that when it comes to energy, there are national security implications. "But NATO has concerns about energy security because we understand the connection between energy and security," he said.

Trump has already inserted the Nord Stream issue into the U.S.-EU trade dispute. But the immediate insertion of the issue into this NATO summit, even before the actual summit begins, will significantly increase pressure on Germany to ditch the pipeline. Already, there is significant opposition to the pipeline within Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel has showed signs that she is souring on the pipeline.

The NATO summit in Brussels will continue over the next two days. Energy stakeholders will be keenly watching to see if the U.S. President continues to press the Nord Stream issue so hard, or whether he will move on to other issues such as military spending. Given his eagerness to bring up the subject right from the start of his press point with Stoltenberg, it appears he is ready to make the pipeline a central issue at this summit.

Dave Keating, Contributor

   Если вы обнаружили ошибку или опечатку, выделите фрагмент текста с ошибкой и нажмите CTRL+Enter

Орфографическая ошибка в тексте:

Отмена Отправить