The United States is ready to do anything to disrupt a large-scale Russian-European energy project. However, not everything is in their power. It remains to lay a little more than 150 kilometers of the gas pipeline, and their laying can be supported by another weighty argument.
Several Gazprom Fleet vessels participating in the completion of the pipe installation accompany the ships of the Russian Navy. However, they have their own plans – some of them will participate in the parade dedicated to the Navy Day in St. Petersburg. Others are sent to a Russian base in Syrian Tartus.
So this is not an official convoy, but rather a kind of general escort. By the way, for example, the corvette of the Black Sea Fleet “Vasily Bykov” in the sea will also be trained in combat missions. Someone will call what is happening a demonstration of power, but Russia does not violate any conventions. The question is different: to exclude the possibility of provocation. And no matter from which side.
Over the past years, Washington has consistently tried to disrupt the implementation of the project and impose its own gas on Europe. And it is still unknown at what price, and with what guarantees of timely delivery. However, the position of the main beneficiary of Nord Stream-2 – Germany – remains the same. It needs this project and it is of a purely economic nature, Berlin says. This makes the United States and Donald Trump personally very angry. One of the last arguments of the Americans was the introduction of sanctions against project participants. Any of them, not just Russian and German.
As a result, we had to change the pipe-laying vessel. Now this work will be done by “Academician Charsky”. The vessel is left to retool and transport to the place. Well, get permission from the Danish Energy Agency. Recently the owner of the ship has changed. Most likely to avoid sanctions. Moscow expects that the gas pipeline will be launched in early 2021.