Germany ups pressure on Russia in Navalny poisoning probe
BERLIN (AP) — Germany on Sunday increased pressure on Russia over the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, warning that a lack of support by Moscow in the investigation could “force” Germany to rethink the fate of a German-Russian gas pipeline project.
“I hope the Russians won't force us to change our position regarding the Nord Stream 2" pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told weekly Bild am Sonntag.
Maas also said that “if there won't be an contributions from the Russian side regarding the investigation in the coming days, we will have to consult with our partners.”
He did not exclude possible punishments against Russia, telling the newspaper that “if we think about sanctions, they should be pinpointed effectively.”
However, Maas also admitted that halting the building of the nearly completed gas pipeline would harm German and European companies.
“Whoever demands this has to be aware of the consequences,” he said. “More than 100 companies from 12 European countries are involved (in the construction), about half of them from Germany.”
The German government has come under growing pressure to use the joint German-Russian pipeline project as leverage in getting Russia to provide answers on Navalny. The Nord Stream 2 project would deliver Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea when completed, bypassing Ukraine.
Navalny, a Kremlin critic and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow last month and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk. He has been in an induced coma in a Berlin hospital since he was flown to Germany for treatment on August 22.
German authorities have said that tests showed that he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve...
