The United States and Germany announced on Wednesday they had agreed to end a long-standing dispute over the controversial pipeline, which is designed to bring Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea while bypassing eastern European countries.
Under the deal, the United States agreed to suspend sanctions on companies involved in the project, while Germany pledged to take a series of measures against Russia should Moscow use the new pipeline to harm Ukraine or other eastern European countries.
Duda told Poland’s PAP news agency that the deal, which allows Russia to export gas directly to Germany and potentially cut off other nations, harms the energy security of central and eastern European countries.
"The declaration of Germany and the USA reduces the security of a large part of Europe, including a number of European Union countries," Duda said, as quoted on the presidential website.
He argued that the agreement “resembles the reset with Russia in 2009, which had an impact on Russia's subsequent aggressive policy and, as a result, the tragedy of Ukraine.”
Duda told the Polish state news agency that the US-German deal had been “negotiated over the heads of many countries, especially Ukraine.”
The Polish head of state was also quoted as saying that the deal prompts his country to strengthen its energy independence by expanding its system of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and developing gas transmission infrastructure, including as part of the Polish-led Three Seas initiative, which involves 12 European countries between the Black, Baltic and Adriatic Seas.
The Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers last week called on the United States and Germany to address what they described as a security crisis in their region after Washington and Berlin announced their agreement on the controversial pipeline.
A Polish security official has warned that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline "gives Russia a chance to destabilize NATO."
(mrs/gs)
Source: PAP, president.pl