German Chancellor Angela Merkel travelled to Warsaw on Februar 7, 2017 to meet with Polish leaders, including Prime Minister Beata Szydlo.
Angela Merkel was met with sharp criticism from her Polish counterpart over the construction of a controversial gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
Russian energy giant Gazprom is the only shareholder in the mooted 1,200-kilometre pipeline, which is slated to be built at the beginning of 2018.
Beata Szydlo said that the construction of Nord Stream 2, a controversial gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, was «unacceptable.»
Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states feel they have had no say in the pipeline‘s construction and fear increasing EU dependence on Russia for its energy.
Szydlo added that Poland, whose economy is coal-based, is «open to talks about an ambitious European climate policy, but taking into account the energy mix best suited to each country.»
The 2 countries do share some common ground: Both worry about U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of NATO and stance on Russia.
Both want to cooperate to ensure that sanctions on Russia remain in place.
They agreed that Russian sanctions should be kept in place until progress is made with the implementation of the Minsk Protocol, aimed at halting the war in eastern Ukraine.