In an interview published on Sunday by Bild, a popular pro-American Berlin tabloid, Maas said:
"I hope the Russians don't force us to change our stance on Nord Stream 2, we have high expectations of the Russian government that it will solve this serious crime."The German diplomat claimed to have seen "a lot of evidence" that the Russian state was behind the poison attack.
"The deadly chemical weapon with which Navalny was poisoned was in the past in the possession of Russian authorities. Novichok is only accessible to a very small group of people."He conceded that stopping the almost-completed pipeline would also harm German and broader European business interests, pointing out that the gas pipeline's construction involves "over 100 companies from 12 European countries, and about half of them come from Germany."
The minister also threatened the Kremlin with broader EU sanctions if it doesn't help to clarify what happened "in the coming days."
Comment: Is Berlin ready to bite the hand that turns on Germany's heat?
This situation is progressing from the absurd to the unacceptable according to the Kremlin, as Browder weighs in: Apparently the Kremlin does not currently see any risk of Germany blocking the construction of the pipeline: UPDATE 7/9/2020 Navalny out of medically induced coma: See also: Novichok, Navalny, Nordstream, Nonsense