Germany and Poland have clashed on the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Berlin after Angela Merkel declared she does not believe it poses a threat to energy diversification.
«Once Nord Stream 2 is going to be built, Putin can do with Ukraine whatever he wants,» said Poland´s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on February 16, 2018. «And then we have potentially his army on the eastern border of the EU.» Morawiecki told German Die Welt that if the new 1,200-kilometre Nord Stream pipeline replaced one through Ukraine, then Moscow could «escalate the conflict with Ukraine.»
Morawiecki was given a military reception as he met Angela Merkel and headed inside for talks and afterwards they revealed a difference of opinion over Nord Stream 2. He has called for the U.S. to impose sanctions on the planned pipeline, which US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last month the American government sees a threat to Europe's energy security.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters after meeting Morawiecki in Berlin: «We had different views on the Nord Stream issue. We think this is an economic project. We are also for energy diversification. We also want Ukraine to continue to have transit gas traffic, but we believe Nord Stream poses no danger to diversification.»
Poland plans to build its own Baltic pipeline connecting it with Norway’s gas network. One of Poland’s fears is that, once the Nord Stream pipeline is running, Russia may continue supplying gas to Germany but cut its supply to Eastern European nations.
