US and several EU states continue to oppose Nord Stream 2 project, says Russian FM

Despite completing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that several EU member states and the US continue to oppose the project aggressively. While speaking at a press conference on September 15, Lavrov said that criticism has been raised against the pipeline and added that it is “incomprehensible why this has been the case”. The Russian minister also said that most of the criticism has come from the US, claiming that the pipeline could “undermine” Europe’s energy security. 

Lavrov further went on to say that the EU is also criticising Russia for not being willing to communicate with the bloc as a whole. However, he added that the European Union itself has persistently destroyed relations with Russia at all levels. Lavrov said, “We will communicate with those who are willing to do so”. 

Nord Stream 2 project 

Meanwhile, Russia announced the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction on September 10. The Nord Stream 2 is built under the Baltic Sea and bypasses Poland and Ukraine. It is a 1,230-km gas pipeline and would bring 55 million cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany. 

Poland and Ukraine expressed over the pipeline’s completion as they believe Russia could use Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a political weapon. Ukraine has described the new pipeline as a powerful geopolitical weapon for Russia. It is worth noting that the 1,230-kilometre natural gas line project has posed a major foreign policy dilemma for the US. The United States has strongly opposed the construction and said that Moscow's pipeline is a geopolitical manoeuver that will undermine Ukraine’s role in transiting energy to Europe and increase European dependence on Russian gas. However, Germany, which is actively involved in the project, has insisted that the project is purely commercial. 

The US long feared it would give Russia excess power over European gas supplies. It is also to be noted that Trump had damaged the relationship between Germany and the US. Now, the Biden administration is determined to rebuild its ties. In July, the US and Germany gave their nod to complete the project, ignoring Ukraine and Poland.

Image: AP