Merkel Welcomes Deal With U.S. On Nord Stream 2, Others Fret

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the agreement reached with the US government on the controversial Nord Stream 2 undersea pipeline, which will deliver natural gas from Russia to the European Union via Germany, as a good step, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported, even as she said it does not overcome all the differences.

But a day after it was announced, some senior officials from countries in Eastern Europe could not hide their contempt for the agreement between Washington and Berlin, denouncing it as a mistake of potentially far-reaching proportions.

The two countries, which have been at loggerheads for years over the 1,200-kilometer-long Nord Stream 2, announced a deal on Wednesday in which the US dropped its opposition to the pipeline. In exchange, the two sides vowed to take measures should Russia attempt to use energy as a weapon or commit further aggressive acts against Ukraine.

They also said they will work with Ukraine to mitigate the impact of the new Baltic Sea pipeline, which could be completed as soon as next month, because at present Ukraine relies on billions in revenue from the transit of Russian gas through its territory.

In the US, there has long been bipartisan criticism of Nord Stream 2, so the agreement is likely to face strong opposition in Congress. There, many Republicans reject the project and are demanding sanctions, as do some of President Joe Biden's Democrats.

Critics see the pipeline as a Russian geopolitical project that endangers Europe's energy security. They also complain that the pipeline could harm Ukraine thanks to gas flows being circumvented.

Once it goes into operation, the Nord Stream 2 will transport 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Russia to the coast of northern Germany and then on to the EU's internal market.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki slammed the German-US deal and expressed surprise at what he described as a U-turn by Washington. "I express my disapproval for our allies' selfish approach to the construction of this gas pipeline," Morawiecki said on Thursday, according to the PAP agency.

Poland has tried to convince other countries that this project will only help Russia with its rearmament, Morawiecki said. "I think this is a mistake and this mistake will cost us dearly," said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, according to the BNS news agency.

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