Image by Samuel Bailey
Russia is determined to finish the Nordstream 2 pipeline traveling under the Baltic Sea to supply natural gas to Germany. After completion, Berlin will receive 30% of its gas from the Russian Federation.
Due to national security concerns, the Trump administration has sanctioned the project and forced the former company laying the pipeline to abandon the project. A Russian vessel has recently moved into the area that could finish the job.
A Russian pipe-laying ship that could help finish the Nord Stream 2 gas link to Europe has anchored at the Baltic Sea port of Kaliningrad after sailing for three months from the Pacific, reported Bloomberg News.
The Akademik Cherskiy, which has changed destinations several times on its way, recently signaled it was set to arrive in Kaliningrad on Sunday, tanker tracking data show. Late last year, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak mentioned that vessel as an option to complete the pipeline that will bring Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea.
The Kremlin propaganda effort is behind finishing the undersea delivery system.
The Federal Government of Germany continues to have a positive attitude towards the Nord Stream 2 project, expects its completion and will continue to provide political support to the companies participating in it, according to the statement published on Monday on its website, reported Russian state news agency TASS.
According to the statement, the German government still positively evaluates the Nord Stream 2 project. From its point of view, it is primarily a commercial project. The government is currently not aware of how the project will be implemented technically, but it assumes that Nord Stream 2 will be completed. The government will continue to provide political support to the companies participating in the project, the statement said.
Germany pays very little for its own defense; it percent to GDP spent on its armed forces is consistently close to 1%, far below the 2% goal set by NATO. In essence, Germany is weakening its own national security while enjoying American protection under North Atlantic Treaty Organization obligations.
This has angered The White House, hence the sanctions.
