A former executive of the Nord Stream AG, Matthias Warnig, reportedly plans to relaunch the pipeline in Europe, according to the Financial Times, citing its own sources. Warnig allegedly plans to establish connections with US entrepreneurs in the circle of US President Donald Trump. High-ranking officials in the Trump administration are said to be aware of Warnig’s plans, viewing them as an attempt to restore ties with Moscow. European officials have reportedly expressed concern over the development, with state and government leaders of several EU countries said to be worried.
A consortium of US investors has already developed a design for a business deal with Russia’s Gazprom, the Financial Times reports, adding that the deal could be concluded after the lifting of US sanctions against Russia. The Nord Stream 2 AG is a subsidiary of Gazprom. However, a former US official, who was not named, told the newspaper that the agreement between Moscow and Washington might not be sufficient to restart the operation of the gas pipeline due to EU sanctions against Russia.
Matthias Warnig himself is quoted as saying he does not participate in discussions with US politicians and business representatives and adheres to the restrictions imposed by the US.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, spanning 1,200 kilometers from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, has a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Construction was completed in September 2021 and the commissioning process was underway. In January 2022, the German government suspended certification and the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO, Matthias Warnig.
In September 2022, explosions occurred on the pipeline’s strings. The Kremlin described the incident as an act of international terrorism. The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal investigation and repeatedly requested data on the explosions from abroad, but never received a response.