Foreign Ministry says Russia to build NStream-2 despite sanctions

MOSCOW, Jan 17 (PRIME) -- The Nord Stream-2 Russian gas pipeline will be completed in spite of the U.S. pressure, as clear-headed Europeans understand the benefits of the additional gas route, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

“Inclusion of the infamous sanction stipulations in the 2020 U.S. defense spending law is blatant intervention in the European affairs. Some U.S. senators went as far as to directly threaten the contractors building Nord Stream-2. The goal was clearly not to care for the European energy security but to impose costly U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the European market,” the ministry said.

“In spite of the continuing pressure, Nord Stream-2 will be completed. The benefit from the additional export gas route is obvious for the clear-headed Europeans. But there are countries that are ready to work for the owners across the ocean hurting interests of their citizens.”

The Nord Stream-2 project envisages construction of two lines of a natural gas pipeline with an annual capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters, running from the Russian shore to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Russian gas giant Gazprom builds the pipeline together with Germany’s E.ON and BASF, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria’s OMV, and France’s Engie.

On December 21, the builder of the Nord Stream-2 suspended operations due to the threat of U.S. sanctions and withdrew all its vessels engaged in laying the pipeline from the Baltic Sea after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a defense budget envisaging spending on counteraction against Russia in various areas including sanctions against the Nord Stream-2.

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