Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be completed in 2021.

He advised to address the question of more specific dates for the completion of the project to the operator of the project, Nord Stream 2 AG.

“This year it will be, but the builders themselves will better tell the exact date,” TASS quoted him as saying.

On April 15, the head of the State Duma Committee on Energy Pavel Zavalny, at a meeting with deputies of the German Bundestag, also said that the completion of the construction of Nord Stream 2 is expected no later than summer. 

“We very much hope that by the end of the summer all work on the project, on commissioning, gas supply will be completed.

And by the end of the summer there is hope that Germany can receive the first gas via this pipeline, ”he noted.

As RIA Novosti reports with reference to data from Nord Stream 2 AG, as of March 31, the gas pipeline was 95% built.

At that time, it remained to lay 121 km of the total length of the gas pipeline along two lines of 2460 km.

On February 9, the head of Gazprom's Investor Relations Department Anton Demchenko said that the construction of the Danish section of Nord Stream 2 is scheduled to be completed in April.

“We are focused on completing the construction of the gas pipeline and putting it into operation on time,” he concluded. 

  • Construction work at the reception site of the preschool educational institution in Lubmin

  • © Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt

Let us remind you that Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline under construction that runs from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

The pipeline passes through the exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of five countries - Germany, Denmark, Russia, Finland and Sweden.

A number of European countries are opposed to its construction, claiming that the gas pipeline allegedly threatens the energy security of Europe, as well as the United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas to the EU.

Russia has repeatedly stated that Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively commercial and not a political project.

At the end of December 2019, then-US President Donald Trump signed the country's defense budget for the new fiscal year, which included sanctions against Nord Stream 2.

In this regard, the Swiss company Allseas, which was laying the gas pipeline, curtailed the work, stating that it did not plan to return to the construction of this pipeline.

Later, Washington introduced several more packages of sanctions.

In particular, in December 2020, the US Congress agreed on the expansion of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines.

The new restrictions were included in the draft US defense budget for 2021.

The law provides for restrictions on insurance and underwriting companies required to complete a project.

Also, the sanctions apply to companies that provide services for the modernization or installation of welding equipment on ships participating in the construction, as well as their modification or additional equipment.

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov called the actions of the American side a manifestation of unfair competition, and added that such steps "fundamentally contradict the principles of international trade and international law."

In February, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US position on Nord Stream 2 has not changed since the new administration came.

According to her, Joe Biden believes that this project is a "bad deal" because it "divides Europe" and "makes vulnerable" the countries of the continent, including Ukraine, to "Russian manipulations."

She noted that Washington is monitoring the construction of the gas pipeline and discussing the possibility of expanding sanctions.

At the same time, Moscow emphasized that restrictions would not interfere with the completion of the project. 

In Germany, the US sanctions were also called interference in the country's internal affairs, noting that the restrictive measures were directed against German and European enterprises.

Meanwhile, in early April, Andrei Minin, director of the Nord Stream 2 AG branch, said that in the construction area of ​​the offshore section of the gas pipeline, there is an increased activity of foreign warships and aircraft, whose actions are often clearly provocative.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, the pressure on the gas pipeline is due to the West's desire to make Russia pay for their geopolitical project.

“Why is everything revolving around Nord Stream 2?

They want to make Russia pay for their geopolitical project "Ukraine", that's all.

In fact, everything is quite primitive, everything is simple, we have understood this for a long time, but this is the world in which we live, ”Putin said.