US politicises Russian-German gas pipeline project - Nord Stream 2 CEO

The United States government politicises the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project because it wants to sell its gas in Europe, Matthias Warnig, the company’s CEO told WirtschaftsWoche in a long interview. “They abuse the unfounded fear of a dependence for their own economic interests,” said Warnig. Nord Stream 2 was simply an economic project between a Russian and five western companies. Russian gas alone will not be able to fulfil Europe’s future needs, and the European market is already so flexible that nobody depends on just one supplier, said Warnig. He warned that should the EU change regulation now at Gazprom’s disadvantage, compensation for damages could become a topic. Europe is the most important market for Gazprom and so the company “needs Europe as a customer”, writes WirtschaftsWoche.

Read the interview (behind paywall) in German here.

For background, read the CLEW news digest item Nord Stream 2: green light for 55-kilometre section in German territorial waters and the factsheet Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.