German coalition member backs US easing Nord Stream sanctions in Russia peace talks

BERLIN — One of Germany's leading social democrats said Thursday that a potential U.S. move to ease sanctions on Russian energy could be justified in the interests of securing peace in Ukraine.

“The U.S. sanctions [on Nord Stream 2 AG] were unlawful from the start,” the Social Democrats' energy spokesperson Nina Scheer said in a statement to POLITICO. “Lifting them would be in line with international law. In the interest of pursuing diplomatic paths to peace and ending the war of aggression against Ukraine, steps that could potentially support this process should be encouraged.”

Scheer — who comes from the center-left SPD, which is set to join conservative Friedrich Merz's coalition government as the junior partner — emphasized that this stance does not alter Germany’s commitment to renewable energy. “We must accelerate the transition to renewable energy. This remains true no matter how sanctions on Nord Stream 2 are handled,” she added.

Her comments come after POLITICO reported that Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, advocates lifting sanctions on Russian energy infrastructure, including the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipelines, as part of potential peace negotiations.

The move reflects a broader effort by Trump’s team to reset relations with Moscow. Witkoff has held multiple rounds of talks with Russian officials, excluding Ukraine from the negotiation table. The discussions have focused on easing tensions and reopening economic ties while rushing a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Beyond the Social Democrats, the proposal has raised concerns in Germany, where reliance on Russian gas has been significantly reduced following Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action dismissed the idea of reactivating the pipeline, regardless of what becomes of U.S. sanctions.

“The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not certified and has not been legally approved. As such, using the pipeline is not even under consideration,” a spokesperson told POLITICO.

Michael Gahler, foreign policy spokesperson for the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament, warned against such a move by the White House.

“We are deeply concerned that the Trump administration appears willing to abandon international law, betray Ukraine, grant Russia impunity, and do business with Putin,” he said. “A new German government would also not allow Nord Stream to be reactivated. We will not make the same mistake twice.”