Merkel does not rule out effect of Navalny's poisoning on Russia's Nord Stream

A spokesman for the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced, according to Agence France-Presse, that the latter does not rule out that there will be repercussions on the "Nord Stream 2" gas pipeline project, in case Russia fails to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the poisoning of Russian opposition Alexei Navalny.

When asked whether Merkel would seek to protect the gas pipeline project from Russia to Europe, which cost billions of euros, in the event that Germany resorted to imposing sanctions on Moscow over the Navalny case, Spokesman Stephen Seibert said, "The chancellor believes that it would be wrong to exclude anything from the beginning".

Berlin, which currently presides over the European Union, increased pressure on Moscow, on Sunday, by threatening to impose sanctions if the latter "in the coming days" does not provide clarifications on the issue of poisoning the most prominent opponent of the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, which has become proven for Berlin.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the German newspaper Bild, "Setting deadlines does not help anyone, but if the Russian side does not contribute in the next few days to clarifying what happened, we will have to discuss a response with our partners."

He added that if sanctions are decided to impose "specific" goals, he did not rule out taking steps that might affect the huge "Nord Stream 2" project for the gas pipeline between Russia and Europe.

The main Russian dissident, Alexei Navalny, is still undergoing treatment at a hospital in Berlin.

The German government announced this week that there was "conclusive evidence" that he had been poisoned by Russia during an election tour with a toxic nerve agent from the "Novichok" group, which was developed in the Soviet era for military purposes.

Berlin and other Western countries have urged Moscow several times to clarify the circumstances of the poisoning.

However, this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received "with a great degree of suspicion" the accusations of assassination and asked Berlin to provide evidence.

J.O