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US president harshly criticized Berlin during his breakfast with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this week. claiming it`s inappropriate that Germany was `making massive oil and gas deals with Russia.` adding that `Germany is totally controlled` by Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in the RT interview to Larry King that Trump`s threats to impose sanctions on companies participating in the Nord Stream 2 had no economic basis.
`United States Secretary Mr [Rick] Perry said that the North Stream 2 pipeline must be stopped and those European companies participating in this project would be sanctioned by the United States because the United States is for competition. Russian authoritarian gas is supposed to be worse than the democratic American gas. then I am awfully sorry. but this is not economy. this is not competition. this is pure ideology.` the minister said.
Trump has previously demanded that the German government drop the project in order to secure a trade deal with Washington. which would not include high aluminum and steel tariffs.
The US has repeatedly urged European countries to not participate in Nord Stream 2. threatening to impose sanctions on European energy companies involved in the project. According to Washington. Nord Stream 2 violates the energy security of the EU and also undermines the interests of Ukraine. The US President even offered to use American liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative to energy imports from other suppliers.
At the moment. Germany. Sweden. and Finland gave their permission to the pipeline`s construction in their territorial waters. and the only country. which is still undecided is Denmark.
A `Highly Likely` Rule
According to Lavrov.the Western countries formed a habit to accuse Moscow without providing any evidence to support their claims. like in Salisbury case last March. when the UK groundlessly stated that Russia was `highly likely` behind the poisoning of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
“Highly Likely`… and the assertion that there is no other credible explanation is becoming a rule on which the Western friends try to base their policy on Russia.` he said. addressing a question about `unanimous conclusion by the entire American intelligence community` that Russia had influenced the US Presidential election in 2016.
Lavrov also noted that all the conclusions made about Russia`s alleged interference were unsubstantiated.
`The investigation of the Salisbury poisoning is also going on without any transparent information.` the foreign minister stressed.
Moscow has strongly refuted any involvement in the incident with the Skripals and even offered to collaborate London on the investigation. but the UK refused to share information on the issue.
