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USA and Russia discuss commissioning of Nord Stream without the EU

Russia and the US are apparently discussing pumping Russian gas to Europe again through Nord Stream. The EU is not present at the talks and is reacting with dismay.

by Anti-Spiegel | March 28, 2025

On Wednesday, an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the Russian-American negotiations was published, from which I have translated long passages. The interview is now causing a stir in the EU because Lavrov said that the US and Russia are discussing the commissioning of Nord Stream. In the interview, Lavrov said (the full translation of the question and Lavrov's response can be found here):

"But the interest in restoring a normal energy supply to Europe—is that only the interest of the US and Russia? It's about Nord Stream. It will probably be interesting if the Americans exert their influence on Europe and force it not to reject Russian gas. But that's already surreal. Europe and its businesses pay many times more for energy today than the American economy. At the same time, people like Habeck, von der Leyen, and Pistorius say they will never allow Nord Stream to be restored. They're either sick or suicidal."

The statement that Russia and the US are discussing the commissioning of Nord Stream 2 has caused shock and dismay in the EU. As always, German media aren't the fastest when it comes to politically sensitive topics. In Germany, there have been almost only brief reports on this so far. For example, MDR published a short report with the headline "Russia and the US apparently discuss Nord Stream 2," the last paragraph of which read:

"The German government and the EU categorically rule out a return to Russian gas. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is even planning a complete phase-out of Russian fossil fuels. While individual business representatives do not rule out the use of the pipeline, political resistance remains strong."

This is a highly propagandistic formulation. While it's well known that Brussels and Berlin oppose the commissioning of the intact Nord Stream pipeline for political reasons, the claim that only "individual business representatives aren't ruling out the use of the pipeline" is a lie. German industry, due to the excessively high energy prices, is practically clamoring for cheap Russian gas and the commissioning of Nord Stream. This is no secret, even if many German managers are afraid to say so publicly for political reasons and for fear of a media storm that could also harm their companies.

But what are the real backgrounds to the story? And what interest could Russia and the US have in restarting Nord Stream? After all, Trump was also previously opposed to the pipelines and hampered the construction of Nord Stream 2 with sanctions.

Let's take a closer look at what at first glance seems a complicated story, but is actually not that complicated.

The American investor

That Trump had his eye on the Nord Stream pipelines became clear as early as November 2024. At that time, it was reported that American investor and Trump cronies Stephen Lynch wanted to buy the pipelines from the bankruptcy estate of the Swiss-based operating company of Nord Stream 2. An article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) at the time stated:

"Lynch argues in his motion that the government would have better leverage in peace negotiations with the Russians if the pipeline were in American hands. Generally, it would serve American interests if American investors owned the pipeline."

Even back then, there was a connection between possible peace negotiations and the purchase of Nord Stream by the American Lynch. Therefore, it's hardly surprising that the issue is now apparently being discussed between the Americans and Russians.

For the investor, it would be the deal of the century, as he would buy pipelines that currently lie pointlessly and worthlessly on the Baltic Sea floor for political reasons for $500 million – that's the figure mentioned. Should gas deliveries ever resume, he would quickly recoup his money, because the pipeline operator collects a transit fee for the gas.

Please go to Anti-Spiegel to continue reading.

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The British commercial proxy war on Russia is to destroy Russia's energy capabilities:

Britain and France Played Central Role Facilitating Ukrainian Attack on Russian Energy Infrastructure - Moscow

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