US is falling into “Russian trap” over Nord Stream pipeline, warns Polish foreign minister

The Polish foreign minister has criticised the United States for not consulting its decision to lift sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Poland and other countries in the region.

Zbigniew Rau also warned Washington that it was falling into the same “Russian trap” as Germany had done. Poland is strongly opposed to the pipeline, which will bring gas directly from Russia to Germany, bypassing Central and Eastern Europe.

Last month, the US government decided to waive sanctions on the company behind the pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, as well as its chief executive, Matthias Warnig, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the decision “demonstrates the administration’s commitment to energy security in Europe, consistent with the President’s pledge to rebuild relationships with our allies and partners in Europe”.

President Joe Biden himself, answering a question from Polskie Radio’s White House correspondent, said that, although he had “been opposed to Nord Stream 2 from the beginning”, trying to stop it now, when the project is almost complete, “would be counterproductive in terms of our European relations”.

In an interview with the Rzeczpospolita daily, however, Rau said that Biden appeared to “equates Europe with Germany”. The Polish foreign minister noted that he had only learned of the US administration’s decision to lift sanctions from media reports.

“The American allies did not find time for consultations with the region most exposed to the effects of this decision,” he said. This was despite being assured by Blinken in January that “nothing will be decided about you without you”.

“We agreed that Polish-American strategic dialogue needed to be resumed urgently,” Rau told Rzeczpospolita. “In February and March, when rumours about confidential US-German discussions on Nord Stream 2 emerged, we heard assurances that no such discussions were taking place.”

“Yet now I read agency reports that this week discussions are taking place in Washington between close associates of Chancellor Merkel and President Biden’s advisers about completing Nord Stream 2,” he added.

The foreign minister said that trilateral dialogue between the United States, Russia and Germany was no substitute for discussions with the US’s allies on NATO’s eastern flank.

“This pipeline will radically strengthen Germany and Russia’s common interests and will constitute a direct threat to peace in Europe,” warned Rau. “It will increase the military threat to Ukraine as well as Poland and other NATO countries from Central Europe.”

Rau noted that Putin himself had last week issued a veiled threat by saying that Ukraine would have to “demonstrate good will and behave itself after completion of Nord Stream 2”.

“Russia is pursuing an aggressive policy towards its neighbours, using armed attacks, blackmail and threats. It will be strengthened in this policy. But NATO will be weakened. And this was the Russian calculation concerning Nord Stream from the very beginning.” said Rau

“These were supposed to be projects breaking up the unity of the west. Germany allowed itself to get caught in this Russian trap, and now Joe Biden’s administration is falling into it. This will lead to an escalation of Russia’s aggressive behaviour,” he added.

Rau warned that further Russian military manoeuvres in the region were likely as early as autumn 2021. “Russia will soon have the chance to test US and German reactions. Who will pay the price for German and American mistakes then? Not answering telephone calls will not solve any crisis.”

Poland’s government has long been critical of Nord Stream 2, saying it undermines the security of Europe and increases dependency on Russia. Last year, the Polish competition authority imposed a fine on Russia’s Gazprom over its refusal to cooperate with an investigation into the pipeline.

In February, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, hit back at German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier for suggesting that the pipeline is part of the historical debt Germany owes Russia for World War Two. Morawiecki said that Berlin was supporting the project “behind the EU’s back”.

Preparations are due to begin today to fill the pipeline with natural gas within the next few months, reports Reuters.

Main image credit: PolandMFA/Flickr (under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Ben Koschalka

Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.