With the process for the approval of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 rolling on for several months despite construction on the underwater gas link having already been completed, Moscow should consider exporting hard liquor through the vast pipeline instead, a high-ranking Washington official has joked.
Responding to a question from a journalist who said that the project is ready to pump anything – “gas, olive oil or vodka” – during a press conference on Thursday, US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland joked that “vodka would be nice.”
However, she went on to insist that the US will ensure that the venture is stopped if Moscow escalates an increasingly tense standoff with Kiev, with concerns that Moscow could be ready to invade its neighbor dominating news coverage for weeks. “I would like to say frankly: If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” she warned.