Putin: New Germany-bound pipeline may help reduce prices
Associated PressMOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that a new pipeline to Germany has been fully filled with natural gas, noting that it could help quickly reduce soaring European energy prices. Putin pointed at surging energy prices in Europe, adding that Nord Stream 2 could help quickly stabilize the markets. “It would undoubtedly impact prices on the spot market, and consumers in the countries that use the Russian gas will immediately feel it.” The new 1,234-kilometer pipeline, which has an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters, would double the volume of gas pumped by Gazprom directly to Germany, adding to a similar pipeline under the Baltic Sea and circumventing existing links through Poland and Ukraine. It has insisted that Nord Stream 2 is a purely commercial project that will help ensure more reliable long-term supply and help save billions in transit fees paid to Poland and Ukraine.