Putin on Nord Stream 2: all participants still in project, want to work
CHELYABINSK. Dec 5 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was confident about the prospects for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
"Despite the fact difficulties have arisen in that Poland has not issued the necessary permit - despite this, all participants remain in the project, above all our foreign partners: German, Austrian firms, the Dutch firm, the French one," Putin said at a meeting with employees of LLC Eterno.
Putin said they all wanted to work and that he therefore had no doubt the project would go ahead.
"Right now - there aren't many who are talking about this, in my opinion this has not been talked about publicly - Gazprom is supplying more gas to Europe than Russia ever has, than the Soviet Union ever did: over 600 million cubic meters a day," Putin said.
Putin said the conventional wisdom that those who buy Russian gas become dependent on Russia is an utterly groundless "paltry notion."
"This is an absolutely silly argument of no use to anyone, because this is mutual dependence," he said.