MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Threats of US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project are attempts to oust Russia from the European gas market with non-market instruments, Director General of Gazprom Export Elena Burmistrova said on Monday.
"Unfortunately, there is an additional threat which is increasingly affecting our cooperation. This is the political standoff in general, and in particular the threat of US sanctions against Nord Stream 2. US LNG suppliers have unbalanced the European market and failed to stabilize it. Now the United States is trying to oust Russia by using non-market instruments. In the face of these threats, I am pleased to see the united opposition from governments in key countries which buy our gas in the EU,"she said.
"We are well aware of all the risks and are ready to deal with them. Despite all the challenges, we continue to develop our business successfully and systematically. As the largest gas producer and supplier in the world, Gazprom has a safety margin, a stability reserve which Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, mentioned recently. I am sure that with our international partners, we can improve the stability of the entire European gas market. Let us achieve this by working together," she added.
In early June, a bill was introduced to the US Senate to extend sanctions against Nord Stream 2.
The Nord Stream 2 project includes construction of two lines of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. To date, Nord Stream 2 is 93% complete.
The construction of the gas pipeline was suspended in December 2019 afterthe Swiss Allseas refused to lay the pipes due to possible sanctions from the United States. As a result, Russian pipelayers were sent to European shores