Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to US President Donald Trump's earlier statements on the Nord Stream 2, called liquefied gas (LNG) suppliers attempts to force European consumers to buy more expensive gas a manifestation of "unfair competition."
"As regards attempts to, so to say, orchestrate various attacks on this commercial project, we have said before that we consider this to be a manifestation of unfair competition. It is nothing more than an attempt to force European consumers to purchase more expensive liquefied gas that can be supplied from alternative places," Peskov told reporters.
The Kremlin's spokesperson went on noting that a few energy sources can compete with natural gas and no other supplier showed same reliability and stability as pipeline gas deliveries. According to Peskov, Russia has been for a long time a guarantor of the European energy security.
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In addition, he pointed out that the US president's remarks though were unlikely to complicate the upcoming talks with Putin in Helsinki.
"They will be complicated any way, you know that we have many disagreements on issues that are on the agenda. Therefore, it is unlikely that something can complicate this," Peskov said.
The Kremlin's statement comes in response to Trump's criticism against Germany over working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Russia and buying Russian oil and gas. Speaking during the NATO summit in Brussels the US president dubbed Berlin a "captive" to Moscow.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has continued to insist that Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline threatens the EU's energy security and stability, noting that companies working in the Russian energy export can face restrictive measures.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, carried out jointly by Russia's Gazprom and European energy companies, has divided the EU, as some European states argue that Russian gas supplies jeopardize their energy independence. However, Russia has repeatedly stressed that the Nord Stream 2 is a purely commercial project.
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