Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed that Russia and the U.S. are in negotiations over the potential reopening of the “Nord Stream” pipeline, which runs beneath the Baltic Sea.
In an interview with Channel One, Lavrov stated, “normal energy supply to Europe is an interest not only for the U.S. and Russia.”
“It will be interesting if the Americans use their influence on Europe and force it not to abandon Russian gas. But this is already some kind of surrealism,” Lavrov said, as quoted by TASS.
This statement corroborates earlier reports suggesting that the “Nord Stream 2” pipeline could come under U.S. control, which would enable the resumption of Russian gas transit to Europe.
The “Nord Stream 2” pipeline was initially designed to transport Russian gas to Germany along the Baltic Sea floor. However, the German government suspended the project after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In September 2022, one of the pipeline’s branches was destroyed by an explosion.
Lavrov criticized German politicians for halting the project, accusing them of rejecting Russian gas and agreeing to higher energy prices for both industry and consumers. He specifically pointed to Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“They all say they will never allow the ‘Nord Streams’ to be restored. These are either sick people or suicides,” Lavrov added.
In response to the suspension of “Nord Stream,” Germany has focused on reducing its dependence on Russian energy, increasing its purchases of liquefied natural gas from the U.S.
