eLufthansa Flight LH9290 from Frankfurt / mainland at Washington Dallas International Airport at 3:42 pm on Tuesday: For the first time since the Govt epidemic, several high-ranking German ambassadors arrive in the US capital. For the first time, the panel around Angela Merkel’s foreign policy adviser, John Hecker, wants to have a face – to – face discussion on the controversial issue of Livestream 2 with leading representatives of President Joe Biden’s government this Wednesday.
In addition to Hecker, Lors-Hendrik Roller, economic adviser to the president, and Andy Leanderze, secretary of state at the Federal Foreign Office, and several other members of the delegation will take part in the trip. First, the Funky media team reported on the visit. Focus on Bilateral Talks Wednesday afternoon (local time) at 1800 Foxhall Road – A summit with Biden’s National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan at the German Ambassador’s Washington residence.
From the German side, Hecker, Lendertsche and German Ambassador to the United States Emily Heber are expected to attend. In this small circle, Duchess can talk about the controversial German-Russian Baltic Sea pipeline. In addition, a meeting is planned between Business Adviser Hecker and US Trade Representative Katherine Taik, which will include a large delegation talk and expert meetings. The German side had already delivered to each other on Tuesday evening.
The date of the German-American talks is coincidental. US President Biden will fly to Europe next week – his first foreign trip since taking office four months ago. He will meet with President Merkel several times: first at the G-7 summit in Cornwall, UK, a few days later at the NATO summit and the EU / US summit in Brussels. Fiden and Merkel may have had at least one conversation. With all the nice features, the Nord Stream 2 theme is transparent.
So it is very clear that Berlin and Washington need to talk again about their long-running controversial topic. Even if all stages of the 1200 km stretch are exchanged for a long time: Berlin wants Russia to increase its capacity for natural gas supply to Germany and talks about an “economic plan”. Washington warns that Germany is relying on Russia and deceiving the Baltics, the Poles and the Ukrainians. In this case, Biden is arguing like his predecessor Donald Trump (“I’m been against Nord Stream 2 for a long time”).
But Biden is compromising with Berlin more than Trump once did. This became clear when his government lifted sanctions against Nortstream 2’s operating company. In a statement to Congress in May, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he had dismissed the penal proceedings against Nortstream 2AG in Jug, Switzerland, along with its German executive director, Matthias Warnick, and four employees of the United States. The reason: Such sanctions have had a negative impact on “US relations with Germany, the European Union and other European allies and allies.”
After paying Pitton in advance, it is now Merkel’s turn. This is the visit of his confidant to Washington. The federal government has not moved in with North Stream 2 in a long time, pretending to be dead in a way. Germany enjoyed Biden’s election victory at the end of 2020, and even more so the defeat of Donald Trump. In Berlin it was sometimes naive to say that everything would be fine with Python. The new president continues to deny the fact that Democrats are more critical of the Kremlin than North Republic 2 Republicans – you do not want to hear all that in Berlin.
Germany has not yet taken a step back – despite the fact that the US president is ruling with a slim majority in Congress, the Republicans are completely opposed to him and he is threatened with a severe defeat in the midterm elections by the end of 2022. Even after Biden took office, Berlin gave the impression that they had not spoken to each other for months. Kovit can no longer be an excuse – it should now switch to the G7, NATO and the EU / USA summit in two weeks. Late, but still.
But what can negotiations bring to Washington? No one expected the United States to abruptly drop its criticism of Nord Stream 2. – Cross party – Opposition is too much for that. Similarly, no one expected the German government to abandon the pipeline project. The annexation of Crimea or the march on the border with Ukraine did not lead to the poisoning of Alexei Navalny or any reconsideration of the Berlin alliance. Greens criticizing the Kremlin are under pressure, but they have been in opposition for at least four months.
The purpose of Merkel’s fidelity may be to attempt a transfer agreement. Berlin is interested in compensating for the completion of the political gas and natural gas pipeline. So what is needed is a face saving solution. To Germany and the United States. There is goodwill on both sides, it says in Washington. This is an important distinction between the time when Donald Trump still ruled the White House and whether National Security Adviser John Bolton or Robert O’Brien.
This Wednesday’s meeting should be different, harmonious and friendly than what Berlin and Washington offered under Trump. Instead of smashing too much ceramic, go for a green branch – these are approximate expectations. However, no political progress or firm agreement is likely to be reached at the German ambassador’s residence on Wednesday. However, both sides can sound like they can come up with Nord Stream 2. For example by: Additional obligations to Ukraine? Tough stance from Germany to Russia? Or China? The Washington talks will be more of a prelude to the outcome of a process.
Biden’s lifting of sanctions promoted by Trump should not be a signal to Russia – it will cool the relationship between Washington and Moscow. Following his visits to the G7, NATO and the European Union, Biden will meet with his Russian envoy, Vladimir Putin, in Geneva on June 16. The talks are said to be about Moscow’s renewed attempt to interfere in US elections, cyber attacks, the expansion of the border with Ukraine and Belarus’ conduct. The two presidents can talk about North Stream 2.
Joe Biden may have had a lengthy discussion with his Secretary of State Anthony Blingen about the controversial gas pipeline connection. In the blink of an eye, this is a popular topic. His first book, based on his undergraduate dissertation, has a beautiful title: “Allies Against Allies. Crisis in the United States, Europe and Siberia ”. Blingen was just 25 years old when his book was published in 1987. This refers to the construction of the Soviet gas pipeline in the West in the 1980s. At the time, the United States, under President Ronald Reagan, feared that the pipeline would make Europe dependent on Moscow. This was rejected by France and President Helmut Schmidt.
In his book, Blinken criticizes Reagan’s policy of maximum pressure. In addition, he accused Europeans of “preferred thinking” that could trigger positive changes with the Kremlin’s greater economic relations. However, Plinken’s key thesis: US policy to the Soviet Union is less important than US policy to its European allies. The first is not the desire to change the actions of the Kremlin, but the unity of the allies. Did the German ambassadors read a little Blinkings book on the plane to Washington?
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