Putin to make surprise visit to Germany to discuss Nord Stream 2

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Germany on Saturday, 18 August to discuss the controversial gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the New York Times reports. Apart from talks about the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and in Syria, the Russian and the German heads of government will discuss the future of the pipeline project, which is heavily opposed by eastern European states that fear being circumvented in energy policy. In April, Merkel called on Putin to guarantee that Ukraine will continue to be a transit country for Russian gas and retain its transit charges. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised the project, which is being developed in spite of economic sanctions on Russia by many NATO countries, saying Russia “totally controls” Germany due to the latter’s energy imports.

Read the article in English here.

For background, read the CLEW news digest item Trump lashes out at Nord Stream 2, says Germany is “totally controlled” by Russia and the factsheet Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.