The U.S. government suspects Svecic of going it alone on the controversial Nord Stream Foundation

Berlin, Brussels After the dispute over the supply of battle tanks to Ukraine, the next dispute erupted in transatlantic relations. The topic is the controversial “MV climate and environmental protection” foundation, which was used to build the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, and which concerns the Bundestag this week.

Germany’s official explanation so far: The state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, led by Prime Minister Manuela Zvezic (SPD), established the Climate Foundation on its own initiative. But the US government does not believe it is credible, insiders tell Handelsblatt.

Before the Russian attack on Ukraine, the climate foundation was considered by the German government to be an “appropriate” tool to fend off US sanctions, according to a diplomat familiar with negotiations between the Americans and Berlin at the time. The establishment of the foundation was “minimally tolerated” by the government of former chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).