"German Defence Minister Says Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Depend on Russia's Steps Regarding Navalny Case"

From Sputnik, September 6:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been under increased pressure to stop the construction of the nearly complete joint pipeline project of numerous European energy companies and Russian Gazprom ever since Berlin claimed to have found traces of nerve agent from the Novichok group in the blood of a hospitalised Russian opposition figure.

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has said that the possibility of sanctions being imposed against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project will depend on how Moscow reacts to the situation with political activist Alexei Navalny, who had purportedly been poisoned with a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent. She noted that Russia's cooperation on the case of the poisoning, which Berlin has so far blamed on the Kremlin despite presenting no proof of their claims, will determine Germany's response.

At the same time, the minister, who once had been a prime candidate to replace Merkel as the CDU leader and possibly the Chancellor, admitted to having no warm feelings to the project, which united Russian Gazprom and numerous European energy giants, including those from Germany.

"I have always said that I am not fond of the Nord Stream 2 project. To me it was always clear that the security interests of Eastern European states and Ukraine must be taken into consideration", Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

On the same day, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas suggested that should Russia not provide proof of its non-involvement in the poisoning, which remains to be proved, Berlin would deem the Kremlin as the culprit in the alleged attack on the opposition figure.....

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