Putin will use weaponized pipeline to blackmail Europe
UkraineAlert
by
Inna Sovsun
Russian President Vladimir Putin pictured at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence on July 8, 2021. (Alexei Nikolsky/Presidential Press Office/TASS via REUTERS)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to visit the White House on July 15. When she meets US President Joe Biden, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is likely be at the very top of the agenda. The US has long opposed this Kremlin-led energy infrastructure project, but in recent months Biden has made clear his readiness to explore possible compromises that could minimize any negative impacts from the pipeline while preventing a rift in US-German relations.