U.S. hasn’t exhausted options in halting Nord Stream 2, U.S. diplomat says

The U.S. government hasn’t yet exhausted all its
options in halting the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline,
said on Nov. 13 U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, as reported by the
Deutsche Welle news agency. “We haven’t yet applied all the instruments that
would seriously undermine or halt the given project,” he said. In response to
the comment, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said 200 km have already been built and
the project will be completed regardless of U.S. opposition, as reported by the
kommersant.ru news site.

Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline that is planned to supply
natural gas directly from Russia to Germany, excluding Ukraine and Poland. It
is widely viewed as a Russian political project to weaken the influence of
these two countries that currently transport gas from Russia. Currently under
construction, it could be launched by the end of 2019. Nord Stream 2’s launch
could cost the Ukrainian budget USD 3 bln annually, according to Naftogaz
estimates.

Zenon Zawada: The Nord Stream 2 project is the main battleground at the moment
between Russia and the U.S. in being able to influence the European Union.
Russia’s mid- to long-term goal is to bring the nations of Europe fully under
its influence, buttressed by its ample supply of energy resources. Ukraine’s
prospects as an independent nation with a developing economy depend on American
success in restricting Russian influence in the EU. Russia restoring its
dominance in Ukraine will hinder economic development, particularly Ukraine’s
prospects for improving rule of law and reducing corruption.