Germany faces pressure to drop Russian pipeline project over Navalny's poisoning

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing growing pressure to reconsider Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline after the health authorities confirmed the poisoning of Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-style nerve agent. Merkel said that the Russian opposition leader was a victim of an assassination attempt, demanding an explanation from Moscow. 

Nord Stream 2 is one of the two Russian projects in Europe to supply gas to Germany and was expected to start in mid-2020 but got delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Norbert Roettgen, head of Germany's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told German radio that the government must pursue hard politics and speak the only language Russian President Vladimir Putin understands. 

Nord Stream 2 is considered as a key part project to deliver gas to Europe via Baltic. The two Russian pipelines are expected to start soon to increase its supply to European countries which will bolster Russia’s position strategically. In December 2019, Russia had asserted that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be completed despite sanctions imposed by the US Senate against companies working on the project.

"If the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed now, it would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for Putin to continue this kind of politics," Roettgen had told German television earlier.

Read: Russia 'must Answer' Questions About Alexei Navalny's Poisoning: Merkel

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Demands for explanation

Western countries are furious after German authorities confirmed the presence of a Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in Navalny's blood sample. Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement that toxicological test results "revealed unequivocal proof of the presence of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group." 

"The Federal Government condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms. The Russian Government is urgently called upon to make a statement on the incident," the statement read.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the “outrageous” poisoning of Navalny, demanding an explanation from Russia. He also pledged to work with international partners to ensure that justice is done.

Read: Boris Johnson Slams ‘outrageous’ Novichok Poisoning Of Alexei Navalny, Demands Explanation

Read: German Doctors Find Soviet-era Nerve Agent Novichok In Alexei Navalny's Samples