With August 31 as the final deadline for Americans to leave Afghanistan, public and private security forces alike are tripping over themselves trying to get their men (and women) out of the country – and some less scrupulous figures are taking cash to expedite the process, according to a Tuesday …
Read More »Russia to pump 5.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas through Nord Stream 2 pipeline in 2021 – Gazprom
The project was 99% complete as of July, with the pipe-laying barge Fortuna working at the final section. Gas flows via Nord Stream 2 are expected to begin as early as October, and the volumes may well exceed expectations, according to experts. “If we assume that in December the pipeline …
Read More »As Nord Stream 2 nears completion, Germany’s Merkel to make farewell Russia & Ukraine visits next week – will meet Putin, Zelensky
In a statement issued on Friday, the Kremlin said the summit between the two leaders would go ahead on 20 August, and that a number of international and regional issues would be up for discussion. A German cabinet spokesperson confirmed that Merkel would visit Moscow before then traveling to Ukraine …
Read More »By acknowledging America can’t stop the pipeline, Biden’s Nord Stream 2 deal seals the end of the Washington-centric world order
Clothed in the usual unifying language of upholding common values and confronting Russia, the pact was published last week to great fanfare and harsh criticism at the same time. The US agreed to give its “permission” for the gas pipeline, in exchange for concessions from Germany. Berlin has committed to …
Read More »America’s billion-dollar gas game: Nord Stream 2 threatens US energy exports to Europe. No wonder Washington wanted to block it
However, efforts to draw a line under the debate over the almost-finished energy link have clear-ly not pacified Ukraine’s foreign minister. Dmytro Kuleba was quick to reply to the news on Wednesday, saying in a joint statement with Poland’s foreign minister that the proposals put forward to alleviate the “security …
Read More »As US finally drops it’s opposition to Nord Stream 2, it’s clear plans to block the pipeline were always about money, not security
Signing a new agreement with Berlin, the US has put itself behind Germany as its key ally in Europe. Not Ukraine, which has thrown up no end of objections and appeals over the project. As would be expected, there has been a furious reaction in some quarters. Some are hysterical …
Read More »Washington’s new Nord Stream 2 deal ‘hostile’ to Russia & betrays spirit of Putin-Biden summit, Moscow’s ambassador to US fumes
That’s according to Russia’s Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov, who has accused American officials of taking a confrontational stance towards his country over the Russian-backed gas link. In a statement issued on Thursday, he wrote that the new agreement, published by officials the day before, was based on “misunderstandings …
Read More »US strikes Nord Stream 2 completion ‘deal’ with Germany, Kremlin says Moscow & Berlin ‘satisfied’ with outcome for pipeline
US President Joe Biden administration officials confirmed the existence of the agreement on Wednesday, details of which have been leaked to the press earlier. Under the four-point plan, Germany and the US would invest in energy security and green energy in Ukraine and Europe and back the “Three Seas Initiative” …
Read More »US & Germany disagree on controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline but Washington has given up trying to stop it, Biden tells Merkel
Once finished, Nord Stream 2 will connect Germany directly to Russia via the Baltic Sea, allowing Moscow to send gas without transiting other countries. Berlin’s aim is to protect its energy security and make the process less reliant on third parties, thereby lowering the price. The Americans have consistently opposed …
Read More »Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to be completed in August – project coordinator
“We believe that construction will be completed at the end of August. We are now 98% complete… Our goal is to put the pipeline into operation this year,” Nord Stream II AG executive director Matthias Warnig said in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper. He stated that after its completion, the …
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