Top Polish Diplomat Says Learned About US Sanctions Waiver On Pipeline From Media

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau admitted in an interview to Rzeczpospolita on Friday that he found out about US President Joe Biden's decision to lift some sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from media reports

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th June, 2021) Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau admitted in an interview to Rzeczpospolita on Friday that he found out about US President Joe Biden's decision to lift some sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from media reports.

"From media reports. Our American allies did not take the time to consult with the region that is the most vulnerable to this decision," Rau said, when asked about how he learned about the waiving of sanctions on the pipeline.

The offical further stated that in January he spoke with US State Secretary Antony Blinken, who assured him that "nothing concerning you will be decided without you." The two sides also agreed that there was an urgent need to revive US-Russian strategic dialogue, Rau said.

"In February and March, when rumors surfaced about confidential US-German talks on Nord Stream 2, we were assured that no such talks were taking place. We took those statements into consideration, although they contradicted the information we got from other sources," the minister stated.

He expressed discontent that Washington was negotiating the issue with Berlin without Warsaw's participation.

According to Rau, the pipeline would strengthen the common positions of Russia and Germany and pose a threat to peace in Europe, with NATO's Central European allies facing the most impact.

The top Polish diplomat also noted that Warsaw was "upset" that Biden will not meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda ahead of the summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, scheduled for June 16 in Geneva.

At the same time, Rau stressed that Warsaw does not expect that the meeting of the Russian and US presidents will bring any radical changes to their policies. He added that Washington is most likely to continue sanctioning Russia, while Moscow will stick to its "aggressive" policies.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, currently preparing to be tested for launch, is designed to transport natural gas across the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. It has been met with opposition from the US, which views the project as threatening European energy independence and imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on companies and businessmen engaged in it. Russia insists that the Nord Stream 2 is a purely economic endeavor and vows to finish the construction soon.