BERLIN, August 8. /TASS/. Germany’s government rules out the launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for settlement of the situation with the lack of gas in the country, Government Spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told a briefing on Monday.
"I say yes, it [German government] rules it out," he said. "Clearly difficult months lie ahead of us, a reduction of gas supplies from Russia to Germany is challenging for all of us," the cabinet official noted, adding though that the German government had taken a number of various measures to avoid a difficult situation, particularly on construction of LNG terminals.
"It is also clear that we firmly support Ukraine, and we will back sanctions that have been agreed on by the EU and the international community," he stressed. "It is also clear that the launch of Nord Stream 2 as a pipeline has not been allowed and will not be allowed now," Hebestreit said. The pipeline will not be used in the context of searching for ways out of the situation with the lack of gas, he noted.
The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The construction works were fully completed on September 10, 2021. Initially it was planned to be finalized by the end of 2019, though the works were suspended in December 2019 due to US sanctions. The certification was suspended after Russia recognized the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.