The United States has been strongly opposing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction project, dismissing it as a tool of Russia’s influence on Europe.
A Dutch media outlet has witnessed a verbal clash between Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Alexander Shulgin and his American counterpart Pete Hoekstra over the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The spat erupted after Hoekstra penned an article for De Telegraaf, with a stark warning to European companies against working on the joint venture with Russian gas giant Gazprom:
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russia’s Gazprom and five European companies: French Engie, Austrian OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, German Uniper, and Wintershall.The project is due to be wrapped up before the end of 2019 and envisages the construction of two gas pipelines that will run from Russia, through the Baltic Sea and to a hub in Germany, bypassing Ukraine entirely.