Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has appealed to Berlin to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing Russian gas to Germany from opening, calling it a “powerful threat to peace” and a tool of “blackmail” for Vladimir Putin.
Morawiecki was speaking during a visit to Kyiv, where he expressed Poland’s support for Ukraine amid tensions with Russia. Discussions were also held regarding a proposed three-way security pact that would also include the UK.
The Polish and Ukrainian governments have long voiced opposition to the Nord Stream 2 project, which will deliver gas to Germany directly from Russia. They warn that, because it bypasses Central and Eastern Europe, it will give Moscow increased leverage over the region.
Speaking alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv on Tuesday, Morawiecki said that Germany “cannot be in solidarity with Ukraine and certify the gas pipeline at the same time”, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP)
“Nord Stream 2 is a powerful threat to peace throughout Europe,” explained the Polish prime minister. “Through launching this pipeline, Berlin is loading Putin’s pistol, which he can then use to blackmail the whole of Europe.”
“Once again, I appeal to our German partners to see the huge risks that loom on the horizon and to do everything they can to protect Europe,” he added, quoted by Polsat News. “We urge the Germans not to open this pipeline, because opening it increases the chance of blackmail and war from the Russian side.”
Construction of Nord Stream 2 was completed last year but the pipeline has not yet been able to start pumping gas. In November, Germany’s energy regulator suspended its approval process until the Nord Stream 2 company, which is registered in Switzerland, transfers its main assets and staffing to Germany.
This week, the European Commission also announced that its approval process for the pipeline had been put on hold, with commission vice president Valdis Dombrovkis saying they wanted to “send a clear message to Russia: any further aggressive action would bring severe political and economic consequences”.
Last week, the German government itself warned that the Nord Stream project could face sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine. The US State Department has also declared that “Nord Stream 2 will not move forward if Russian invades Ukraine”.
The US and Germany jointly declared last summer: if Russia uses energy as a weapon or if there is another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russia will have to pay a high price.@OlafScholz and @ABaerbock stated clearly: nothing will be off the table, including Nord Stream 2.
— Emily Haber (@GermanAmbUSA) January 26, 2022
During his Kyiv visit, Morawiecki noted that, aside from the military and humanitarian assistance Poland was providing to Ukraine, it would also seek to bolster its neighbour’s energy security. He said an agreement was signed for the transfer of gas from the west to the east.
“We talked with the prime minister about expanding capacity as soon as possible, building a gas pipeline that would be able to pump large volumes of gas in the near future,” explained Morawiecki.
As well as attempting to prevent the launch of Nord Stream 2, the Polish government has also been seeking to diversify the country’s energy supplies away from reliance on Russia. That includes the ongoing construction of the Baltic Pipe, which will bring Norwegian gas to Poland via Denmark.
Main image credit: Andrzej Haber/KPRM/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
