EU Considers Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 to Block Return of Russian Gas
The European Union is moving closer to sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany as part of its next package of measures targeting Moscow.
The plan, aimed at eliminating any chance of Russian pipeline gas returning to Europe, comes amid ongoing diplomatic negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, The Gaze reports, citing Bloomberg..
According to sources familiar with the matter, the European Commission will begin consultations with member states this weekend on including Nord Stream 2 in the EU’s 18th sanctions package.
The proposed ban is widely seen as a symbolic yet strategic move to signal that Russian energy flows are no longer welcome in Europe, regardless of the conflict’s outcome.
Though Nord Stream 2 was completed before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it was never certified for operation and sustained damage in a suspected sabotage incident later that year.
Despite this, recent rumors — fueled by discussions between the US and Russia — have raised concerns in Brussels that Moscow may attempt to revive the project as part of wider energy negotiations.
The EU has significantly diversified its gas supply since 2022, replacing most Russian pipeline gas with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other countries. However, some member states — notably Hungary and Slovakia — remain dependent on Russian deliveries, while a number of industrial stakeholders in eastern Germany have quietly pushed for a return of cheaper Russian supplies to ease energy costs.
Earlier this year, reports indicated that Russian energy giant Gazprom had expressed interest in restarting the pipeline during informal talks with U.S. officials. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed in May that Russia and the U.S. had discussed energy cooperation, including European gas supply.
Yet experts say the technical and geopolitical barriers make a Nord Stream revival highly unlikely.
“Sanctioning the Nord Stream pipelines now is less about punishing Russia and more about insulating the EU — from its own future temptations,” said Tatiana Mitrova, a researcher at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “It’s a preemptive strike against any political nostalgia for ‘cheap’ Russian gas.”
As The Gaze previously reported, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is reportedly throwing his full support behind a European Union initiative to permanently ban the operation of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, aiming to preempt any joint efforts by Russia and the United States to resume gas flows through the infrastructure.