Not a word, not a deed: Germany refused to have a dialogue with the Russian Federation on Nord Streams

Germany, under the new government, refused to talk to Russia about undermining the Nord Streams. Moscow's requests for legal assistance were ignored, and if there were any responses, they contained replies, the Russian Embassy in Berlin told Izvestia. At the same time, Alternative for Germany is going to initiate a debate in the Bundestag and call for the publication of the interim results of the investigation. Parliamentary hearings may be held in September, Izvestia found out. The German Prosecutor General's Office reports on the continuation of the investigation into the sabotage. Against this background, the Merz government promises to prevent the resumption of pipelines, and the European Commission has proposed to impose sanctions against them. The article in Izvestia explains why Spain, Belgium, France and Austria can receive Russian gas, but Germany cannot.

How is the investigation into the Nord Stream bombing progressing

Germany, under the new government, refused to discuss with Russia the topic of undermining the Nord Streams.

— The German side continues to avoid constructive dialogue. Our numerous requests for legal assistance were ignored or the responses to them contained formal replies. At the same time, in accordance with the requirements of the European Convention on Legal Assistance, Berlin is obliged to inform about the reasons for refusing requests, which was also not done, the Russian diplomatic mission in Germany told Izvestia.

Germany is not fulfilling its obligations under the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. In connection with these claims, the Russian side proposed direct negotiations in 2024.

— The situation is still in place, as well as the investigation of the terrorist attacks. Judging by the statements made, the new ruling cabinet of Germany is more engaged in assisting Brussels in sanctioning Nord Streams, creating prerequisites at the legislative level for the aggravation of the energy crisis in Europe," the Russian diplomats concluded.

The German Prosecutor General's Office told Izvestia that the investigation was ongoing, but did not specify any time frame for its completion or provide details.

The Alternatives for Germany faction in the Bundestag, which became the second largest in the number of deputies after the parliamentary elections in February, may initiate a debate in September calling for the publication of interim results of the investigation into the gas pipeline explosions. Wolfgang Wiele, a member of the Bundestag from the AFD, told Izvestia about this.

— This would probably have been possible in the first week of the session immediately after the summer break, namely on September 10-12. The next two weeks are set aside for budget discussions," the politician clarified.

The change of the German government did not affect the position of the Cabinet of Ministers, which does not intend to publish preliminary or interim results of the investigation, as this would jeopardize the "purpose of the investigation," Gerold Otten, a member of the German parliament, stressed in an interview with Izvestia.

— The AfG has repeatedly demanded the restoration of pipelines. You can be sure that the Alternative factions in the German Bundestag and the land parliaments will continue to monitor the situation solely out of national interests so that the German people know who blew up Nord Stream," Otten added.

Regardless of the course of the investigation, the perpetrators of the bombing will not be publicly identified, suggested Artem Sokolov, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. However, Berlin can instrumentally use the course of the investigation and the identification of the perpetrators when interacting with Ukraine and Poland.

— The definition of the customer's figure will have specific legal consequences. Berlin is currently not ready to hold hypothetical foreign customers accountable, unless, of course, they are from Russia," the expert explained.

US President Donald Trump has previously claimed that he knows who is responsible for undermining the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. He rejected the version of Russia's involvement in this. At the same time, back in 2023, American journalist Seymour Hersh published material in which he claimed that the operation was planned by the CIA with the participation of Norway. Vladimir Putin also spoke about the possible involvement of the United States in sabotage of this scale. "We did not blow up Nord Stream 1 and partly Nord Stream 2. Most likely, the Americans did it, or someone did it at their suggestion," the Russian leader said, summing up the results of 2023 on the air.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper published an investigation in which it blamed the Ukrainian special services. A number of German media outlets reported on the possible involvement of an unknown pro-Ukrainian group in the explosion of gas pipelines.

Gas intermission: Germany promotes the abandonment of energy resources from the Russian Federation by 2027

At the same time, Berlin continues to purchase Russian LNG.

Why Russian gas is important for Germany

Currently, there are still opportunities to restart Nord Stream 2, since one of the two branches remained intact after the explosion. Technically, this branch of the gas pipeline is in working condition, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Izvestia earlier. In 2023, gas consumption in Germany amounted to 78 billion cubic meters. The capacity of the surviving branch of Nord Stream 2 is 27 billion cubic meters. m per year, but it can be used to pump more than the design capacity. In other words, Germany, if this route is launched, will be able to receive up to a third of its annual consumption of natural gas.

However, the new German government has no intention of reopening the gas pipelines. At the end of May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: "Germany will do everything to prevent Nord Stream 2 from being launched." These words were uttered at a press conference in Berlin during the visit of Vladimir Zelensky.

In addition, the European Commission is discussing the possible inclusion of sanctions against Nord Streams in the 18th package of anti-Russian restrictions. According to EC spokeswoman Paula Pinho, the idea of the head of the EC to impose EU restrictions on the Nord Stream 2 consortium is aimed at preventing any investments in this project.

All this is happening against the background of discussions about possible cooperation between the Russian Federation and the United States in the restoration of the Nord Streams. Representatives of Russia and the United States are considering the resumption of Russian gas pipelines, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 25. As the minister noted, "it will be interesting" if Washington uses its levers of pressure on the EU and forces the countries of the community not to abandon gas from Russia.

The repair of the gas pipeline will allow Germany to import cheaper fuel from Russia in significant volumes again, which will significantly reduce energy costs for both German industry and households. According to experts, the repair of the three damaged threads of the Nord Stream is, in principle, possible, said Matthias Mosdorf, a member of the Bundestag from the AFD.

— The German public cannot understand why other EU countries such as Spain, Belgium and France import Russian natural gas in the form of LNG in significant volumes, while Austria continues to receive almost two thirds of its gas through pipelines. On the other hand, Germany cannot, in turn, receive cheaper natural gas through repaired pipelines," the politician believes.

The position of the German authorities is looking increasingly contradictory: formally, the investigation is ongoing, because Germany has suffered the most from the consequences of the explosion of gas pipelines and should be interested in ensuring its own energy security. In fact, Berlin is not interested in establishing the truth, since proof of the involvement of Western intelligence services in the terrorist attack would jeopardize allied relations.