On December 20, President Trump signed into law sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines (within the United States Defense Budget Act for fiscal year 2020). Before Trump, the law passed through the Senate and was approved by the House of Representatives of the US Congress - the very one led by Trump's sworn foe Nancy Pelosi. This house voted to impeach Trump, have you forgotten?

As early as December 21, the Swiss company Allseas (so that Switzerland does not have access to the oceans, the company is its property) recalled its toys - three pipe-laying vessels - and took them away from the place where they laid the pipes. Our young (judging by the face - kind) bespectacled tall minister Alexander Novak explained: "The company requested clarification from the US Treasury, and only after receiving it it will become clear whether it can continue to work."

In addition to Allseas, the pipes are laid by the French company Engie, the British-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, the German Uniper and Wintershall, some other Austrian company, but there is no information about whether they remained to lay the pipes or left the same way as Allseas.

Our Novak resolutely said: "Regardless of the sanctions, the gas pipeline will be completed, less than 160 km of pipe remains."

What are Novak's reasons for this?

We will not just consider the statement by our Prime Minister Medvedev that "the project will be completed." This is not a basis, this is an order of the prime minister of the country.

First basis: Novak believes that Allseas "could still theoretically return after receiving clarifications from the US Treasury."

I don’t think so - experienced bureaucrats are sitting in the US Department of the Treasury, and they closed all possible exits for pipe-laying companies when they compiled their document. I have no doubt that Allseas is gone forever.

The second reason: Russia is capable of manufacturing - it will take two months for this to happen - a Russian pipe-laying machine. Or several pipelayers, because it will take several.

The question arises: when did you prepare to build a gas pipeline (gas pipelines) through the seas, didn’t you realize that the USA could interfere with this, and didn’t guess to build five or six pieces of your pipe layers? This is not such a cunning construction. Did not guess. Muddlers.

What do I propose? Go for an easy trick. Buy pipe layers from foreign companies, reissue documents, repaint in a week and start laying pipes. Cheating? Cheating. But do they not deceive us? And how.

The United States falsely covers its economic interest (selling its liquefied gas to Europe) with the false assertion that the gas pipeline will become a way for Russia to influence European politics.

Are we now influencing the policy of Ukraine, through which our gas pipeline has passed since Soviet times? No, we do not influence.

The pipeline is supported by those countries to which it will bring cheap Russian gas. First of all, it is Germany, then Finland, Sweden, Denmark.

Against are Poland, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and the United States. Well, it’s clear why they are against it. Poland out of historical hatred towards us, Ukraine wants to receive our money for the transit of gas through its territory, the United States wants to sell its gas to Europe, and the Balts, under the guise of Russian danger, want to be gilded by a pen.

In short, a bunch of tricksters and crooks.

Zakharova from the Foreign Ministry about Russia's response: “I will not say how the Russian response will look exactly, but, as you have heard from Russian officials at various levels, we always respond to such unfriendly attacks.”

Many Russian officials have already spoken out on the issue of retaliatory sanctions and made it clear that the expansion of stop lists for entering Russia is planned.

They will not let in a dozen of two or three little-known officials, and so what? There will be no effect.

I suggest finally throwing out McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola from Russia. It is high time.

Everyone will notice such a measure. I don’t know how financially (are these companies so significant for the US economy?), But the image of the United States will definitely suffer. “The Russians drove the Yankees!” They will speak in Latin America, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. And they will be pleased that we kicked them out.

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.