“I am glad to announce that today, two and a half hours ago, the laying of the first line of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was successfully completed, and work on the second line continues,” the president said.
He added that, "the whole line work, including the offshore section, has been completed."
Earlier, the head of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV, one of Gazprom's financial partners in Nord Stream 2, Rainer Seele said that the pipeline would be completed this year.
US President Joe Biden admitted that the construction of this gas pipeline is nearing completion and the imposition of sanctions against the project will be counterproductive for relations with Europe.