Merkel won’t rule out Nord Stream 2 in response to Navalny poisoning

Berlin (dpa) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not rule out action regarding her country’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline project with Russia in responding to the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, her spokesman said on Monday.

However, spokesman Steffen Seibert noted that it was too early to consider an internationally coordinated response to the poisoning, which Germany has described as a chemical agent attack on Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critics.

Russia must first answer serious questions on the incident, Seibert said, adding that this was not expected in a matter of mere days.

Construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is nearly complete. It would double Russian deliveries of natural gas via a Baltic Sea route to Germany, Europe’s largest economy. The project, already criticized by the United States and some Eastern European countries, has come under increased scrutiny following the alleged attack on Navalny.

“I hope that the Russians will not force us to change our stance on Nord Stream 2,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Moscow denies any involvement in the poisoning of Navalny, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital after falling ill on a domestic Russian flight on August 20.