German Green Party co-leader Annalena Baerbock, who is a vocal opponent of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, will become her country’s foreign minister, according to a coalition deal finalized on Nov. 24.
The coalition government, which is composed of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party, will be led by the SPD’s Olaf Scholz. He is replacing Germany’s long-serving chancellor Angela Merkel.
Some SPD politicians are considered to be friendly to Russia. Gerhard Schroeder, a former SPD chancellor, is currently the chairman of Nord Stream 2’s board.
Nord Stream 2 is an undersea pipeline from Russia to Germany that bypasses Ukraine. Once it is launched, Ukraine may lose up to $2 billion in annual gas transit fees as well as a deterrent against increased Russian aggression.
The pipeline was completed in September and now awaits approval. Germany suspended the certification process earlier this month, saying that the Russian-controlled consortium behind the project had yet to set up an operating subsidiary that complies with German law.
On Nov. 22, the U.S. announced new sanctions against a Russian company linked to the pipeline. However, the main consortium behind the project remains unsanctioned.
