Kremlin: Russia is ready for sanctions against Nord Stream-2 pipeline
Russia is ready for the possible introduction of new US sanctions against the participants in the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, announced Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, as reported by RIA Novosti.
According to the senator, sanctions “will inevitably be introduced”. Moreover, he said that Washington should not expect them to stop the construction of the gas pipeline or facilitate the refusal from the side of any participant. “Despite the sanctions, the project will be implemented. The US should not expect that anybody will be enticed by the market of their liquefied gas”, Dzhabarov said.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States has almost prepared the draft bill on the sanctions that will impose restrictions on the companies that are involved in the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. The US hopes to use these sanctions to stop the construction of the pipeline. At the end of July, the State Department announced that Nord Stream-2 could become Russia’s weapon for political pressure on Europe.
On August 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the possibility of sanctions due to Nord Stream-2. As presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced, they spoke out against “possible non-competitive and illegal attacks from the third countries”.
The Nord Stream-2 pipeline is going to be 1.2 thousand km long, with capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The construction of the gas pipeline is being carried out by NordStream 2 AG. The Austrian OMV is one of the foreign investors of the gas pipeline.