Nord Stream

US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are blatant protectionism aimed at advancing its liquefied natural gas on the European market, but the EU countries understand this and support the project, and thanks to this it will be completed, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told RBC TV.

The House of Representatives of US Congress (lower house) rejected a presidential veto on Monday. Thus, the provisions for the defense budget, which include the extension of sanctions against the Nord Stream-2 and Turkish Stream pipelines, enter into force. Both chambers, for the first time in Trump's presidency, have managed to override his veto.

The image of the US Capitol reflected in glass windows in Washington, 8 December 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

"The USA is against the second line of the Turk Stream gas pipeline intended for gas supplies to Southeast Europe via Bulgaria, because our country views it as geostrategic project of Russia", the United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio. 

The US is opposed to the TurkStream gas pipeline, which carries Russian natural gas to southern Europe through Turkey and was inaugurated on Wednesday, and the Nord Stream pipeline through the Baltic Sea as undermining European energy security and unity, a senior State Department official has been quoted as saying.

Turkey will launch TurkStream natural gas pipeline next month, energy and natural resources minister said on Dec. 27.

"We will launch TurkStream on Jan. 8. We will be indispensable in international markets with natural gas pipelines coming from both the east and north," said Fatih Dönmez in a meeting in the northwestern Bilecik province.

Russia will respond in kind to U.S. sanctions against the TurkStream and NordStream II projects, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Dec. 23.

Speaking at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament in Moscow, the Council of Federation, Lavrov said preparing a fitting response needs both time and analysis.

Germany accused the United States of interfering in its internal affairs on Dec. 21 for imposing sanctions on companies working on a major project to supply Western Europe with Russian gas.    

Denmark approves Nord Stream 2 ″. The Danish Energy Agency has approved Nord Stream 2 AG to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline across the continental shelf of Denmark southeast of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, says in a statement.

The agency estimates that this route is the safest and meets environmental standards.

President Klaus Iohannis had, on Wednesday, a bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on the sidelines of the high level segment of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, context in which he emphasized the need for an appropriate remedy to the problems caused by the Education Law adopted by Ukraine, which affected the rights of the members of the Romanian min