USA e Russia negoziano il flusso del Nord dietro la schiena della Germania – in Svizzera

Representatives from Russia and the USA are to negotiate the future of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany – in Switzerland. The German government knows nothing about it.

According to the Financial Times, Matthias Warnig, a former Stasi officer, is said to be in charge of the talks. Until 2023, Warnig was Managing Director of Nord Stream 2 AG, the company operating the pipeline project under the control of Russian energy giant Gazprom. He is said to be working to intensify economic relations between the USA and Russia, in parallel with the peace talks on the Ukraine war. Warnig is considered a confidant of Vladimir Putin and is actually on the US sanctions list.

However, close confidants of US President Trump are also allegedly involved in the talks, according to anonymous sources quoted by the Financial Times. According to the German newspaper “Bild”, Trump’s advisor for “special tasks”, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Switzerland several times, to Steinhausen near Zug, where the Nord Stream companies involved are based. He is said to have discussed possible deals with representatives of Russia’s Gazprom there.

According to the report, the core of the idea is a role for the USA as a middleman for Russian gas to Europe. Although the US government would not officially be directly involved in the deal, US investors could benefit financially and at the same time gain regulatory influence over the flow of gas to Europe – and thus a great deal of political leverage.

Several people familiar with the negotiations report that a US-led consortium has already developed a proposal for a deal with Gazprom in the period following the sanctions against Russia. The identity of the investors involved remains unclear.

The reports are causing concern in the European Union – several governments are reportedly already discussing the potential consequences of a deal that would lead Europe back into dependence

It is questionable whether the plan could really be implemented. First of all, the USA would have to lift its current sanctions against Russia and Russian companies. At the same time, Russia would have to agree to supply gas to Europe and Germany again. The German government would also have to agree to an agreement that would entail dependence on both the USA and Russia.

However, recent statements by Russian President Putin indicate that he could be open to a possible gas agreement. He repeatedly emphasized that the USA could benefit economically from peace in Ukraine and indicated that “some companies” were already holding talks to this effect. The US President had also expressed interest in a resumption of economic relations between the two countries.

When asked by the Financial Times, Matthias Warnig, who has been on the US sanctions list since 2022, denied any involvement in talks with US politicians or businesspeople. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also denied such reports. Gazprom declined to comment. Richard Grenell also denied involvement in such talks, as the German newspaper “Bild” writes.

What is explosive is that the German government apparently knows nothing about this either. According to Bild, they have no knowledge of confidential talks and a meeting between Grenell and the Russians in Switzerland.

The future of the potential Nord Stream deal could now be decided before a cantonal court in Switzerland. The Swiss-based operator of Nord Stream is insolvent, as no gas has been flowing through the pipeline for years. The competent insolvency court in the canton of Zug has therefore set potential investors a deadline of May 9.

Originally, the decision should have been made in January, but due to the complex geopolitical situation and Donald Trump’s assumption of office, the court granted a postponement. During his first term in office, Trump was extremely critical of Nord Stream 2 and used the pipeline as a symbol of Germany’s – and therefore Europe’s – dependence on Russian gas, which indirectly contributed to the financing of the Russian military.

Now, however, some members of his team probably see Nord Stream 2 as a strategic bargaining chip that could be used in the Ukraine peace talks, a government representative told the Financial Times.

Translation by DeepL

So, is the plan to apply pressure to (presumably) Germany to humiliate them into accepting a gas deal so that Russia can get their income again? The income that they use for waging war in Europe… And if they don’t reopen NS, the US pulls out of NATO or pulls all troops from Germany or something? This sounds insane but we’ve kind of come to expect it in the recent days. I bet they already have Orban, Fico and possibly others lined up to buy or at least support it.

They are planning for a Russian friendly Putin buttlicking AFD government soon

So what would be the goal here? Load cheap Russian gas in Germany onto us tankers and then sell it back expensive as us lng?

The jokes write themselves at the moment. What the actual hell.

It seems like switzerland really likes to receive the world oligarchy, even when they are war criminals

They are live dwarves LoTR: As long as the bunkers are full of gold they are happy

It was already blown up once.

USA: ‘Germany, you need this gas pipeline!’

Germany: ‘No’

USA: ‘Why are you pro-war?’

It sounds like they are discussing how to carve up Germany

News Reports of a fishing vessel, flagged in some other country so we don’t who’s it is, were fishing with dynamite and accidentally destroyed it.

The EU will investigate, very very slowly and haphazardly.

——————

That’s the news we want to hear.

It’s like two neighbours secretly deciding which resident on the street gets to adopt the stray cat on the block, without actually considering whether that person wants it.

The agenda is so obvious, make ridiculous statements to show unpredictability then be sensible when it matters, it’s see through

To those saying “we/Merz will say ‘no’”:

I think the angle here is to give ammunition to the pro-Kremlin parties like AfD, who want to make Germany dependent on Russian energy again.

This would be a concrete plan that Musk and co could give them. Just one press of a button and you get Russian gas…

I think Russia just want make US to spend money on the dead pipe. Whatever waste of money they can commit US to instead arming Ukraine, anything will do

Grenell did this.
Deny his entry into the EU. Now!

Can these two fuck off with Elon to Mars and continue their dick measuring contests far away from the rest of us

Time to blow it up again I guess. 

Russia really needs that pipeline huh. Should have thought about that before, you know, invading Europe. Twats

How do they plan to protect it? Ships are cutting pipes and cables pretty much every month now.

I think we in EU are better of biting the bullet now and disconnect from everything ‘USA” right now. Their leverage is only the things we fear will happen. Take the fear away and we can move on. Surely a world can continue and prosper without 4% of its population.

We don’t need the US, they need us!

How can they discuss this shit like they own the thing?

They’re doing the Dugin plan whether Germany wants to or not. Remember, in the Dugin plan, Germany is meant to control Eastern Europe under Russian supremacy. Russia needs one of the big European nations to crack Europe, and Germany was the best candidate.
Nord Stream 2 is not in America’s interest, it goes against it – just like the strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Trump is helping Putin to enact the Dugin plan.

They can connect that thing right to Trump’s anus so he can blow his ego up really hard one final time!

Is this like when the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban in Doha Feb of 2020, without a seat at the table for the Afghan government? Or trying to negotiate a peace in the Ukraine war without Zelensky’s input?