MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. The hoopla around Nord Stream 2 makes it impossible to launch the pipeline, but the project’s infrastructure is ready and is here to stay. The Kremlin hopes that sooner or later a sober assessment of the situation will triumph over the current hysteria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"As for the ‘death’ of this project, the infrastructure is ready, that is technically, technologically, logistically, and so on. This infrastructure will be in place, and it is here to stay," he said in response to the question whether it is possible to talk about a complete halt and, in fact, the "death" of the project.
The Kremlin spokesman stressed that "common sense and economic feasibility clearly speak of the need to launch this facility as soon as possible."
The current hoopla and frenzy around the project make it impossible so far," he said adding that Kremlin hopes that sooner or later this frenzy will end, and a "sober assessment of the situation" will triumph.
Peskov recalled that the pipeline’s certification is currently suspended. According to him, it is "a thankless task" to make any forecasts about it now.
"Nevertheless, let’s hope that any hysteria subsides one day and a sober assessment of the situation takes its place," the Kremlin official concluded.
When asked how the project’s operator should deal with its creditors at present, Peskov directed this question to the company.
Earlier, the head of the economic department of the Swiss canton of Zug, Silvia Thalmann Gut said that Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of Nord Stream 2, was forced to lay off employees and had to file for bankruptcy due to US sanctions.
Nord Stream 2
On February 22, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the German government was suspending the certification of the Nord Stream 2 project after Russia recognized the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. The next day, US President Joe Biden ordered his administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its leadership in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.
The construction of Nord Stream 2 was fully completed on September 10, 2021. Initially, it was planned to be completed before the end of 2019, but due to Washington’s sanctions, the construction was delayed. The gas pipeline consists of two strings with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year, which run from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany.
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Nord Stream 2 is a commercial project and is being implemented jointly with European partners.