SCHWERIN, Germany ¨C In the north German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where former Chancellor Angela Merkel had her constituency, ties to Russia run deep ¡ª so deep, in fact, its leaders have defended a Kremlin project that the United States says helped cripple Ukraine.
At issue is a new gas pipeline project, which Germany halted on Tuesday 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 line, Nord Stream 2, which bypasses the former Soviet Republic. The United States long argued the line would weaken Ukraine; Germany and Russia insisted the project was purely commercial. Nonetheless, in 2019 Washington set sanctions on some companies and individuals who were helping to build it, maintaining the line is a tool for Russia to support aggression against Ukraine.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.