The most, of course, funny news around the sanctions situation with the construction of the Russian-European gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, although it was with a clear American accent, but this time (purely for the sake of variety) came from Germany.
In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Nicholas Burns, the newly-appointed adviser to the recently inaugurating US President Joseph Biden, who advised him in the elections on foreign policy issues, proposed to suspend not only the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but also the US sanctions against the project.
At the same time, this initiative was presented, of course, as a serious concession from the new administration and as a constructive position.
Anyway, according to Advisor Burns, "this would provide the new US administration with the opportunity to speak in confidence and calmly with the German government and other participating countries."
Watch your hands.
The previous administration failed to break you down with sanctions, and we understand that sanctions - especially between partners!
- it's not very constructive.
Therefore, you yourself, voluntarily fulfill what we have not achieved with the sanctions and what we demand.
And this will give us the opportunity to "speak in confidence and calmly" with you.
Logical and constructive, no?
What can I say here: in the place of the Germans, of course, I would be very offended, to admit.
In our country, forgive me, only the smallest criminal infantry in the 1990s hunted in front of commercial tents with such stupid layouts, until they were shot in the same “holy nineties” by slightly more advanced colleagues in the then criminal shop.
And to treat the Germans this way is somehow not respecting the Germans at all.
By the way, this is an excellent illustration to the world-famous expression of Russian President Putin, who was told to a British Air Force correspondent during the annual press conference (albeit on a slightly different occasion): “You are smart people, why do you think that we are idiots? "
But seriously speaking, the picture, I must admit, looks rather sad: apparently, the American democrats, as the French admiral de Pan wrote about the Bourbon supporters at one time, really "have not forgotten anything and have not learned anything."
Only earlier, in such an insultingly simple way, the American democrats tried to separate, excuse me, the natives: the Europeans, in this way, somehow completely, as it seems to us, “no hello” to sniff their glass beads.
However, they are dealing with their former head of state in the style of the next wave of the Kyrgyz revolution, which, forgive me, should be expected from these uncomplicated people as partners.
So everything is fine, in general.
In Europe, I think, they were still somewhat surprised, although it would seem that they are definitely not used to it.
However, today's Germans at least study well.
And it seems to me that it was in the leadership of Germany that someone brilliantly mastered the expression about the cat Vaska, who, as you know, listens.
And, taking this opportunity, he eats.
In a word, while Advisor Burns was giving an interview to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, the Federal Office of Maritime Shipping and Hydrography of the same Germany extended the permit for the operator Nord Stream 2 AG to complete the laying of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in its waters.
Thus giving the advisor Burns, in our opinion, the only correct and quite adequate answer.
Recall that we are talking about two sections of the gas pipeline, 16.5 and 13.9 km long, located in the exclusive economic zone of Germany.
At the same time, permission to lay the pipe has already been issued, but it expired in September last, 2020.
Now it has been extended until May 2021.
And, as it seems to us, only completely incomprehensible characters need to be explained why.
From which it seems logically follows that the Germans themselves expect to complete the construction of the remaining sections by the end of May, which also, in general, looks quite logical: the scope of work there is not so large-scale as to delay construction longer.
For Gazprom, excuse the slang, is on a roll with the extension of the construction period - it already has to urgently increase production.
According to the Russian company itself, from January 1 to January 15, Gazprom's deliveries to non-CIS countries increased by 41.5% compared to the same period in 2020, to 9.1 billion cubic meters.
m of gas.
Of course, Italy and Hungary increased the most purchases - by 139.7% and 298.4%, respectively - but in absolute terms this is not so much.
But Germany, which purchased (mainly through raising gas from UGS facilities on its territory and Nord Stream 1) - transit along the Ukrainian corridor, which is most interesting, on the contrary, fell very seriously, even against the background of a sharp increase in Gazprom's exports to European countries) gas by 32.1% - this is already much more serious.
Especially considering how prices on spot contracts are growing right now.
So it is quite possible to understand the Germans, including just looking out the window and seeing that, among other things, it is very cold there.
Just to illustrate: gas demand on the domestic markets of the Russian Federation also grew by 14.7% (2.1 billion cubic meters).
Well, about what is happening now with the prices of blue fuel in the premium markets of Southeast Asia (where Russian exporters are increasingly starting to look, because there is much more interesting than in Europe, only the pipe will not be very long), it is probably better in general do not speak.
In order not to irritate our European friends too much, because their prices with South Asian ones will sooner or later equalize ...
No, for all that, with the Nord Stream 2 project, of course, things are far from being as smooth as we (and even more so the Europeans, who, we repeat, are much more interested in it than the Russian Gazprom) would like.
In particular, not so long ago - we wrote about this - the Norwegian certifier Det Norske Veritas left the project under sanctions pressure.
Then the Danish consultants left there for the same reasons.
Now there are quite tangible risks (this is already reported by informed American media) that Swiss insurers from the Zurich Insurance Group may also leave the project, which is already much more tangible.
But all these, of course, are problems, not tragedies or catastrophes.
And European legislation allows these structures to be replaced by anyone - even the Russians, even the same Chinese, some of whom don't give a damn about these sanctions.
This is not a pipe-laying vessel for you to replace, and in fact, apparently, they coped with this.
But there is no doubt that nothing has ended yet and will not end even after the technical completion of the gas pipeline.
Far from all the instruments of pressure on European structures (the Russians have long been indifferent to this) have been used by their overseas partners (for their own benefit, of course).
However, European states such as Germany, for the time being, speak more in defense of Nord Stream 2 than they do, and they also have their own instruments.
So while all the fun is yet to come.
Moreover.
After some time, the situation is quite capable of escalating, and this, most likely, will happen just after the technical completion of construction.
And all this will be very interesting to watch.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.