European governments are watching the dispute between Washington and Moscow carefully, fearful that new sanctions against the Kremlin may negatively impact the continent’s supply of energy from Russia. The new round of sanctions is being driven by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Washington, which is intent on punishing both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government for its meddling and intervention in last year’s US presidential election campaign. Those sanctions are likely to be approved by US President Donald Trump, even though it places him in a politically difficult situation. Since becoming President, Trump has developed a good working relationship with the Russian leader, a person with whom he says he can “get along well”.
The 28-member European Union bloc remains divided on the sanctions, with the eastern European nations more willing to end their dependence on Russian oil-and-gas imports that, in the past, have been used by the Kremlin to cripple their economies and hold their citizenry to virtual ransom over its energy-supply monopoly. For Germany, however, the new Congress-motivated sanctions pose a problem, potentially damaging the huge Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that bypasses the eastern European states by providing gas supplies to Germany using a route under the Baltic Sea. Any disruption to this project as a result of these sanctions will delay the project, adversely affect Germany’s energy independence and increase the price tag for the blue-chip project. Washington’s sanctions will directly target manufacturers and supplies of pipeline equipment and hardware — setting up an embarrassing clash between the US and its European allies — nations that have misgivings about the direction of America and its attitude towards Nato and the continent since Trump took office.
