The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is almost complete

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after the bottom of the Baltic Sea is almost complete. There are only 100 kilometers left until the end of construction. This was stated on Thursday by the Russian news agency TASS, referring to the Minister of Energy Alexander Novak. "We hope that construction work on Nord Stream 2 will be completed by the end of this year," Novak told reporters about progress in building a pipeline that will allow Russia to transport more gas to Western Europe, bypassing Ukraine. Last month, the United States dropped sanctions on the company behind the pipeline to Germany, a move strongly criticized by opponents of the project in the US Congress, but the Kremlin welcomed it. However, the German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe stated on Wednesday (June 2) that, following a decision of the German Constitutional Court, it had requested the revocation of the building permit and the Nord Stream 2 gas permit for climate protection reasons. Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court forced Germany to tighten its climate laws after prosecutors, including residents of an island in the North Sea, challenged the German climate law of 2019 for fear of rising sea levels. The Nord Stream 2 project, led by Russian energy giant Gazprom, which also involves partner companies from the West, aims to supply Russian gas to Germany. Washington has long opposed him, arguing that it would dangerously increase Moscow's influence in the region. The pipeline will bypass Ukraine and potentially deprive Kiev of lucrative transit revenues at a time when its relations with Moscow are strained, although the Kremlin says it will continue to use Ukraine as a transit country for gas transportation.