Kremlin calls US threat to slap sanctions on Russian gas pipelines “unfair competition”

MOSCOW The Kremlin on Thursday called Washington’s threat to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany and the second line of the TurkStream pipeline stretching from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea “unfair competition.”

“This is a continuation of negative manifestations, a continuation of a rough line on the introduction of various restrictions, a rough pressure on European business, which includes our companies,”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He reiterated that with its threat, the United States is trying to force Europeans to buy more expensive U.S. liquefied gas on less favorable terms. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent fresh warnings of possible sanctions to companies involved in the two projects, saying that they are not commercial but serve as Moscow’s tools to exploit European dependence on Russia’s energy supplies that ultimately undermine transatlantic security. The Nord Stream 2 project involves the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The TurkStream comprises two parallel lines, the first line serving the Turkish market, and the second line reaching the TurkishBulgarian border for further transport of gas to Europe.

( Xinhua )