Permission for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has deliberately been delayed by Danish authorities under pressure from the US, the Russian newspaper Izvestia cited several sources as saying.
"Apparently, Denmark is scared of disappointing its main ally Washington, which twists its partners' arms in order to force Russian gas out of the European market and fill it with its LNG," one of the sources said.
READ MORE: Danish Defense Minister Dispels "Russian Espionage" Fears About Nord Stream 2
The source added that "at the same time, Copenhagen fears spoiling relations with Berlin, which supports the construction of Nord Stream 2 as a commercial project."
"So, a difficult situation remains in place in Denmark [as far as the Nord Stream 2 project is concerned]," the source said.
Speaking to Izvestia, Nord Stream AG spokesman Jens Moeller, for his part, recalled that Denmark remains the only country which has yet to give its go-ahead for the construction of the pipeline.
READ MORE: Nord Stream 2: Why Denmark Wants to Derail the Project
"We are still waiting for permission from Denmark in next few months," Moeller said, referring to three other countries, Germany, Finland and Sweden, which have already issued such permissions.
In late November 2017, Copenhagen made special amendments to the country's legislation, which allows the government to reject the construction of pipelines in Danish territorial waters for security reasons pertaining to Denmark, the EU and NATO.
The project is a joint venture of Russia's Gazprom with France's Engie, Austria's OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, as well as Germany's Uniper and Wintershall.
The pipeline, due to be put into operation in 2019, aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union across the Baltic Sea to Germany.