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Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his hope that newly elected US President Joe Biden would not interfere with the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
He said this during the annual press conference, which was broadcast on Russian channels. He believes that the gas pipeline that bypasses Ukraine is beneficial for Germany and Europe as a whole.
At the same time, Putin expressed the hope that the new US administration, led by the president-elect, will respect the interests of the European Union by completing the pipeline.
According to the President of the Russian Federation, the construction of Nord Stream 2 is almost complete: there are about 165 km to complete. “I think we will finish the job,” he said.
On December 11, for the first time after US sanctions, Russia resumed construction of a gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine on its own. It was stopped a year ago when Washington imposed sanctions that threatened the Swiss company Allseas that ran them.
They must end before December 31st the remaining section of the two gas pipeline lines. If Gazprom fails to do so in January, construction will not be able to continue due to inappropriate weather conditions.
Another (more modern) Russian pipelayer with a dynamic positioning system, Akademik Chersky, unexpectedly left the Nord Stream 2 finishing zone earlier this week and headed for the shores of Kaliningrad.
There are three Russian vessels in the unfinished section of the pipeline: Katun, Baltic Researcher and Fortuna.
As OBOZREVATEL reported:
