26/03/2021 (Agence Europe) – The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project to link Russia to Germany will be completed this year despite opposition from the United States (see EUROPE 12389/29), said the Chair of the Gazprom Board, Viktor Zubkov, according to Russian news agency TASS on Friday 26 March. According to Mr Zubkov, the construction of the pipeline is already 90–92% complete. The statement comes two days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned his German counterpart that sanctions against Nord Stream 2 were a real possibility and that there was “no ambiguity” when it came to US opposition to the project. “I made clear that firms engaged in pipeline construction risk U.S. sanctions. The pipeline divides Europe, it exposes Ukraine and central Europe to Russian manipulation and coercion, it goes against Europe’s own stated energy goals”, Blinken told a press conference on Wednesday. (DG)