The sanctions against Russia and the refusal to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will not lead to a positive shift in relations between Germany and the Russian Federation. This is how the head of the German-Russian Forum, Matthias Platzeck, assessed the consequences of these steps in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
According to him, the restrictive measures have only worsened the relations that have developed between Moscow and the West. “Therefore, I do not believe in leaving Nord Stream 2. The economic damage will be enormous, the political damage cannot be measured at all,” the agency quoted him as saying.
Platzeck added that refusal to complete the construction of the gas pipeline would only lead to the isolation of Russia, which is not in the interests of the Germans and other Europeans.
On January 21, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a halt to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It also announced the imposition of new sanctions against Russia due to the arrest of Alexei Navalny.