US does not want to Anger the Russian and Turkish Leaders

Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s then-energy minister, stated in 2020 that Israel and Greece will build the EastMed gas pipeline together at a cost of 6 billion euros. After the United States poured cold water on the proposal last week, it was revealed that what appeared to be nothing more than cheerful talk at the time was in fact unworkable. Economic, environmental, and, most significantly, geopolitical factors all contributed to its downfall.

The government, with the assistance of US President Donald Trump, approved the construction of the EastMed pipeline in July 2020. The pipeline’s goal was to establish a natural gas supply route from Israel to Cyprus and then to Europe, lessening Europe’s reliance on Russian gas. The proposal gained traction after Turkey, the region’s largest gas consumer, stated that it would not buy gas from Cypriot or Israeli sources.

The pipeline will span 1,900 kilometres, including 550 kilometres above ground and 1,350 kilometres beneath the Mediterranean Sea. It will have a capacity of 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year, with the ability to increase this to 20 billion cubic metres per year. The pipeline was meant to be operational by 2025, but it is evident that if it is built, it would take much longer to finish.

According to reports, the US administration wrote a letter to the Greek government last week expressing worries about the project due to economic and environmental concerns. Behind the scenes, though, tensions with Russian, Europe’s largest gas supplier, are shaping events. Another issue is the desire to mend fences with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who opposes the pipeline despite the fact that the US needs his help because to the nuclear talks with Iran being in shambles.