The countries of the Group of Seven announced they have rejected the Kremlin’s demands that Russian gas be paid for using Russian rubles, Reuters reported. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that “unfriendly” countries would be required to pay for gas using rubles. “I have decided to implement a …
Read More »China Reduces Imports of Russian Oil
For the second year in a row Russia loses to Saudi Arabia the competition for the world’s largest oil market. China, which buys more than 10% of world oil production daily, reduced imports of Russian oil in 2021, TASS reports, citing statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China. …
Read More »Russia Admits Nord Stream 2 may never be Launched
The Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 may not pass the EU certification procedure, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, reports RIA Novosti. According to him, the certification process may last many months until the summer of 2022. At the same time, the U.S. may impose new sanctions which …
Read More »European Commission: Gazprom must Sell Nord Stream 2
Gazprom must sell the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to comply with European competition standards. This view is shared by the European Commission, reports Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing officials in Brussels. The EU Third Energy Package prohibits the same company from being both a gas supplier and the owner of …
Read More »Germany Considers Shutting Down Nord Stream-2 if Russia Stops Gas Transit through Ukraine
The German government is considering the possibility of establishing a mechanism which will allow shutting down the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline if Russia reduces gas transit through Ukraine, reported German newspaper WirtschaftsWoche citing sources. According to the newspaper, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas are not considering the …
Read More »Russia’s Gazprom Postpones Construction of Nord Stream-2 Pipeline
Construction of the last section of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline in Danish territorial waters has been postponed. Switzerland’s Nord Stream 2 AG, Gazprom’s 100 percent subsidiary, has no plans to start work on January 15, the day when Denmark’s permit for the beginning of the construction takes effect, Handelsblatt …
Read More »Another Nord Stream 2 Partner Walks Away from the Project due to Sanctions Concerns
The Norwegian company Det Norske Veritas (DNV) GL, an international accredited registrar and classification society, will not be able to provide a certificate of compliance for the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, which is built by Gazprom’s subsidiary Nord Stream 2 AG, reports the Russian news agency RBC citing DNV’s press …
Read More »Hope for Completing Nord Stream 2 Is Fading
The EU’s relations with Russia in connection with the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline are unlikely to improve in the future. Therefore, the approach to this project should be changed, said the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, reports the newspaper Les Echos. “Russia’s …
Read More »Hope for Completing Nord Stream 2 Is Fading
The EU’s relations with Russia in connection with the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline are unlikely to improve in the future. Therefore, the approach to this project should be changed, said the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, reports the newspaper Les Echos. “Russia’s …
Read More »Germany Considers Imposing Sanctions against Nord Stream 2 in Response to Navalny’s Poisoning
German authorities are considering the suspension of the construction of Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline in response to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The final decision depends on Russia’s actions, said the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on air of the TV channel ZDF. “We will put all …
Read More »