In the north German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where former German chancellor Angela Merkel was born, ties to Russia run deep — so deep that its leaders have defended a Kremlin project that the US says helped cripple Ukraine.
At issue is a new gas pipeline project, which Germany on Tuesday last week halted in retaliation for Russia’s decision to recognize two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, shortly before it invaded and brought Europe to the brink of a major war.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the landfall site for the Nord Stream 2 line that bypasses the former Soviet Republic.
The US has long said