In recent weeks, secret negotiations have taken place regarding the possible restart of gas transportation through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. According to a report by the Bild-Zeitung, US Special Envoy Richard Grenell has been in Switzerland multiple times to discuss a possible agreement between the US and Russia. The pipeline’s operating company is headquartered in the Swiss canton of Zug.
The plan involves transporting gas from Russia to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern through the 1,200-kilometer pipeline, with the US acting as an intermediary and controlling the flow of the energy resource. The deal could grant the US “unprecedented control over Europe’s energy supply.”
Negotiations are not only focused on Nord Stream 2, but also on the two strands of Nord Stream 1, which could potentially be used for the transportation of hydrogen from Finland after repairs.
Matthias Warnig, former CEO of Nord Stream 2 AG, is reportedly involved in the discussions. According to a report by the Financial Times, he suggested to US investors that they join forces with the US government to restart operations. However, Warnig denies this, stating in an interview with Zeit Online, “I was never involved in this and still have nothing to do with it.”
It appears that the German federal government has not been involved in the negotiations so far. A government spokesperson stated on Monday that they had no knowledge of the talks and that there were no plans to participate in a potential auction of Nord Stream 2, as stated by Staatssekretär Philipp Nimmermann.
Multiple explosions damaged the two pipelines in September 2022, causing significant damage to Nord Stream 1, which had been transporting Russian natural gas to Germany. Nord Stream 2, intended to transport 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas to Lubmin annually, was never put into operation. Several countries have launched investigations, with different speculations surrounding the identity of the perpetrators and masterminds. In August 2024, it was reported that the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office was searching for a Ukrainian individual who had allegedly fled to Poland before returning to his home country.