Intelligence: US needs to stop N Stream-2 to export LNG to Europe

MOSCOW, Sep 22 (PRIME) -- It is vital for Washington to stop the Nord Stream-2 natural gas pipeline project in order to raise exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin told reporters on Tuesday.

“Efforts to block the route that are disguised as a ‘Russia’s punishment for (poisoning of opposition leader Alexei) Navalny is a typical example of unfair competition for the European gas market. It is very important for Washington to make this project close it jeopardizes plans of the White House over raising exports of the American LNG to Europe,” he said.

The indicative moments here are calls of U.S. President Donald Trump for Germany to leave the project, statements of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding inclusion of the pipeline into a new edition of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and threats to the management of the German port of Mukran made by several U.S. senators, he said.

Some Western countries propelling up the Navalny case with the goal of stopping the project, but the majority of Europeans understand that rejection of the project will inflict significant financial damage on the European economy, he said.

“The resource base for the relaunch of the economy will be narrowed, at the same time when its fall would amount to 8.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year as per the estimate of Deutsche Bank,” he said, adding that it would also exacerbate the employment problem during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t think that the E.U. people will act in regards to the Nord Stream-2 under the principle of ‘I will freeze my ears off just to spite grandma. Moreover, they promise us a cold winter, so people would need much more gas,” he said.

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 is implementing the project together with Germany’s E.ON and BASF, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria’s OMV, and France’s Engie.

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