Russia and the US are holding talks on the interrupted "Nord Stream" gas pipelines that connect Russia with Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, quoted by DPA, BTA reports.
In an interview with Russian state television, Lavrov expressed interest in whether "the Americans will use their influence on Europe and force it to stop rejecting Russian gas," TASS reported. He did not reveal details of the talks, but his comments come amid allegations that the commissioning of "Nord Stream 2" could be part of the US-Russian agreement to end the war in Ukraine, including with the participation of American investors.
"Nord Stream 2", which never started work, was suspended by the German government after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In September of that year, an explosion destroyed one of the two pipes of the gas pipeline. At the same time, explosions destroyed both lines of "Nord Stream 1", which had been operating since 2011. Supplies on it were suspended by Russia in August 2022, DPA recalls.
Lavrov accused the West of refusing Russian gas for political reasons, which led to higher costs for German industry. He directed his criticism at German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“They say they will not restart "Nord Stream" at any price. These people were either sick or suicidal,“ Lavrov said.
After the suspension of "Nord Stream" supplies, Germany began importing significant amounts of liquefied natural gas from the United States and other sources, DPA noted.