Nord Stream 2 bad deal, says US diplomat

Bix Aliu, the chargé d’affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Warsaw, said on Friday that companies involved in building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline risk facing US sanctions and should withdraw from the project.

Bix Aliu linked a statement on Twitter by the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, who quoted US President Joe Biden saying that "Nord Stream 2 is a bad deal - for Germany, for Ukraine, and for our Central and Eastern European allies and partners."

Aliu also added that entities involved in Nord Stream 2 pipeline risk US sanctions and should immediately abandon work on the project.

The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline is to supply Russian natural gas directly to Western Europe across the Baltic seabed, bypassing Ukraine and eastern EU members.

Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States, as well as the USA, are strongly opposing the construction of the pipeline. Critics of Nord Stream 2 indicate that the project would increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas and extend the Kremlin's influence over European politics. The project is supported by Germany, Austria and several other EU countries.