what do you think of Merkel standing by these sanctions against Russia even without Trump's backing?
Right now sanctions against Russia are backed by both: the US and the EU. Which doesn't stop Merkel from proceeding with NS2 which will feed the Russian state and the army with European money.
I wish she would let it go too
It will be no easy for Merkel to let it go and to save her face at the same time.
When the whole NS2 project started, Germany has dismissed all the opossition coming from Poland, Baltic states (EU members) and Ukraine. One thing wasn't predicted thought: the fact that the United States will get involved. It was far more easy to ignore the opposition of Poles and Balts than to dismiss the pressure of the upcoming US sanctions.
So right now I'm pretty amused when reading news in which German officials state that this is an inacceptable interference into European matters by the United States.
And Merkel also wants to set the whole of the European Union against the US in order to protect German and Russian economic interests which are against the best interest of some of the EU members in the first place! What a hypocrisy on her side. And it also shows that she treats the EU as her own private farm.
"European energy policy is decided in Europe, not the US," said Heiko Maas, German foreign minister
(small correction by @Spike31: "European energy policy is decided in Europe by Germany and Russia against the will of CEE and other less powerful states who will get directly hit by it")
ft.com/content/cfeb60f6-219e-11ea-b8a1-584213ee7b2b
incredibly short-sighted position in the refugee crisis
It was an incredibly long-sighted policy on Poland's side to refuse them. And also, it was a Germany who has antagonized the whole Central Europe by inviting millions of "refugees" without asking everyone else.