The abundance of rather disturbing and unpleasant news regarding the fate of the Nord Stream 2 project, in fact, only confirms the idea, expressed more than once (including by the author of these lines on the pages of RT), that the confrontation around Nord Stream 2 is now inevitable enter, so to speak, a positional phase.
This is a fairly logical development of events, and, therefore, the parties simply could not prepare for them - for these events, including the virtually inevitable new stage of overseas restrictions, under which the Russian pipe-laying vessel is now quite expected.
At the same time, there is no doubt that the sanctions against the barge Fortuna, which is now completing the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic Sea (but now it is clear why the Akademik Chersky "At least) are unlikely to be able to stop the project.
But they will certainly add more troubles.
It will be even easier for the operator company to deal with the “adopted American sanctions” and independently cut out of the project by the German concern Bilfinger SE, with which, according to media reports, Nord Stream 2 AG had several contracts for about € 15 million, including “for development, delivery and maintenance of security systems ”.
According to the German tabloid Bild, Bilfinger SE has already notified the American side that it is not going to fulfill the contracts - well, so, in general, and it's okay, if even so: all this is not so unique products that it is impossible to replace it.
On the contrary, as far as we understand, it was an inevitable “political component”: contracts for projects such as Nord Stream 2 are extremely “tasty”.
And this contract purely "politically" went to the German company.
So, Bilfinger SE has enough competitors, including in those territories that, for many geopolitical reasons, in some way do not care about American restrictions.
Much more unpleasant, of course, is the withdrawal from the project of the Swiss insurer Zurich Insurance Group, which, as the official representative of the company Thomas Bayer said on Tuesday, has stopped, we quote, “the provision of insurance services subject to US sanctions in connection with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline ".
But this is, as they say, "a problem, but far from a catastrophe."
Moreover, this is a problem that has a completely technically feasible solution, and it is somehow rather naive not to understand it.
And it is no coincidence that the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov rather phlegmatic commented on what was happening as yet another "rude pressure".
Well, in general, the Kremlin regrets about the restrictions.
But nothing more.
And in "Gazprom" and at all answered, surprisingly, more than concretely (and there they usually like information operations to aim a shadow at the fence).
“As for Nord Stream 2, as you know, the project is under strong sanctions pressure, so we are quite limited in comments on the ways of its implementation.
I can confirm that Gazprom intends to complete this project, build a gas pipeline and supply gas to its European consumers through it, ”said one of the top managers of the company during a conference call for investors.
So everything is as it was, and continues rather routinely.
Another thing is much more interesting.
Yesterday it became known that - and this was almost lost in the mass of "significant media" news about the next batch of sanctions - that Gazprom, in turn, does not completely rule out the suspension of implementation or the complete cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 project. »In case of a sharp change in the political situation.
And this is mentioned not just anywhere, but in the memorandum for the new placement of bonds of the holding.
This means that everything is pretty serious.
“In the implementation of our major international projects, such as Turkish Stream and Nord Stream 2, we have faced and continue to face risks associated with changes in the political situation in different regions, which leads to tension between countries and a change in the positions of our partners. and regulatory bodies in relation to various aspects of projects.
In some cases, such changes may lead to the fact that the implementation of the project will become impossible or impractical, and therefore lead to the suspension or cancellation of the project, "- said in the published document.
And the funniest thing is that Gazprom in this case is not at all cunning and does not in the least contradict its own high-ranking insider from among the top management, who stated a little earlier that Gazprom intends to complete this project, build a gas pipeline and supply gas to its own European consumers ”.
Because, firstly, if you pay attention, the document mentions not only the unfinished Nord Stream 2, but also the fully functioning Turkish Stream, albeit not yet in full.
This means that this means a period of later commitments than during the construction phase.
This is where everything is more or less clear: there is a task - and it needs to be solved, if there are no force majeure circumstances, to which the current small bites and other dirty pressure are difficult enough to attribute.
And one more thing: this is, of course, a signal to the European partners of the Russian gas giant, both economic and political.
Because this is, without a doubt, the zone of their contractual obligations.
And so far, apart from warm words of support, they somehow do nothing special, and this is clearly not enough.
And Gazprom does not at all intend to respond to all the sanctions pressure in proud Russian loneliness: the trends have changed a bit, and Russia does not so much want to once again drag chestnuts for Germany from this American fire.
Ultimately, both sides are certainly interested in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but the European side needs it much more.
For Russians, the gas pipeline under construction is additional money, yes.
In which the Russians, as intelligent and pragmatic people, are quite interested.
For Europe, Nord Stream 2 is gradually becoming a key issue of energy security and, somewhere, even the preservation of the remnants of economic sovereignty.
At the same time, both of them - both security and sovereignty - cost more than any money.
This is, after all, a matter of banal survival - at least of the leading industrial cluster of the entire European community - and this is definitely pretty stupid not to understand.
And the Russians, in the person of the same Gazprom, are quite rightly perplexed: why, even under such circumstances, should we solve these problems alone?
And the words you guys say, of course, are good.
But it’s time to get down to business on the sly.
Not necessarily right now: in the end, we will try to complete the pipeline itself.
Since they promised.
And we are really pleased when Josep Borrell, as yesterday, declares that the European Union will in no way impede the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
But after the physical completion of the construction, this will no longer be enough.
Because, if anything, our task after that will be to provide Gazprom with the technical ability to supply gas to Europe.
And how will you certify and issue it there - this is the second question.
And this is exactly what they had in mind, apparently, in Gazprom, indicating the very possibility of drawing red lines now from the Russian side.
Moreover, they are indicated, we must pay tribute, quite clearly: if "the implementation of the project becomes impossible or impractical."
And here, you know, it is somehow inconvenient to remind, but since the Russians competed for the European gas markets, the trend has changed somewhat.
And now, on the contrary, we will have to compete for Russian gas, and at the same time, unlike the Americans, we do not demand political loyalty either, we simply do not need this.
But, purely economically and commercially, a situation in which Russian pipeline gas, which is in short supply on global markets, is supplied to you uninterruptedly and not so expensively, must still be earned.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.