‘Europe shouldn’t let US meddle in its economy,’ German mayor under threat of US sanctions over Nord Stream 2 tells RT

A German mayor at risk of being blacklisted over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia told RT that Europe must not let the US dictate its economic policy.

Two Russian ships busy laying pipes on the Baltic seabed are docked at the port of Mukran on Germany’s Rugen Island. Ninety percent of the port is owned by the small town of Sassnitz, which is why its mayor, Frank Kracht, risks landing on the US sanctions list. 

“I don’t accept this because I believe it is illegal under international law,” Kracht told RT. 

Europe is a sovereign land. And I think that Europe shouldn’t allow such interference into its economic issues.

The US has been placing sanctions on Nord Stream 2 in an attempt to pressure Germany into scrapping it. Yet another bill that would impose new restrictions on companies helping Russia to complete the pipeline was adopted by the US House of Representatives earlier this week.

German officials, however, refuse to abandon Nord Stream 2, and Kracht says it is the right thing to do. 

“We will not allow the US to dictate what ships are allowed to dock at our port,” the mayor stressed. “We have evolved from a simple ferry terminal to an important industry zone with various business projects. Nord Stream is one of those projects.”

I don’t believe that we should be protected from Russia. Historically, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region has had good economic relations with Russia. They were halted by the European sanctions.

Germany considers the Nord Stream 2 an important project for the national economy, which has already been hit by the coronavirus outbreak. 

“The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a global crisis, including a crisis in the economy,” the mayor said. “We should have that in mind and, perhaps, cooperate more on a global scale, instead of sending threats and impeding the development of the economy, which is wrong.” 

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will run from the Russian port city of Ust-Luga to Greifswald in Germany, is more than 90 percent built. The US has been arguing that the pipeline undermines Europe’s energy security by making Germany too dependent on Moscow.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the other hand, repeatedly denied that this is the case, stating that the project serves Berlin’s interests and does not endanger them. She also denied that Germany will grow over-dependent on Russian gas supply.

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