According to the expert, the Americans have few opportunities to exert pressure on Sweden.
"It is not in need of financial assistance, such as, for example, Bulgaria, which was forced to abandon the implementation of the ‘South Stream'," Yushkov explained.
A similar point of view has been expressed by senior analyst at the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Volkov.
"Sweden will continue to have a moderate stance on the Nord Stream-2," Volkov said. "Sweden tries to keep a low profile on this topic. It looks at the general trend and tries to follow it."
Earlier, it was reported that Sweden can be forced to act against the construction of the pipeline over the US and some EU states' concern that it will increase Europe's dependence on gas supplies from Russia. Sweden's Prime Minister Stephen Lovfen met with US Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, with the energy security being a part of the talks' agenda among other issues, according to the Svenska Dagbladed newspaper.
"No wonder Biden tries to convince Sweden to oppose the Nord Stream-2," Yushkov said. "Sweden is important, primarily as "environmental voice" in the general chorus of the opponents of the project. Other countries are assigned to political and economic aspects, but Sweden should play the role of the proponent of ecology," he added.
According to him, the US is seeking to "leave Europe without relatively cheap energy, reduce its competitiveness and force it into complete dependence on energy sources, which will be supplied by sea routes controlled by the United States. And the second goal is to make it more difficult for Russia: it wouldn't be easy to immediately find buyers for such volumes that are purchased by Europe".
The Nord Stream-2 project aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union across the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, the Baltic nations and Poland. The gas pipeline project plans to use the original Nord Stream pipeline for 86 percent of the route before branching off. Denmark is expected to join the project in 2017.
