Russian foreign minister claims talks with US on restarting Nord Stream and hopes to "pressure Europe"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that Moscow and Washington are in communication regarding the Nord Stream pipelines and floated the idea of pressuring Europe into accepting Russian gas supplies.

"There are, of course, differences now. But the interest in restoring normal energy supply to Europe – is that really only in the interests of the US and Russia? There are discussions about the Nord Streams. It would probably be interesting if the Americans used their influence on Europe and made it stop rejecting Russian gas. But that already sounds like some kind of surrealism," Lavrov said, as quoted by Russian state outlet TASS.

Lavrov feels that Europe and businesses are currently paying far more for energy resources than American companies.

"At the same time, people like (German Economy Minister) Robert Habeck, (European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen and (German Defence Minister) Boris Pistorius  all say they will never allow the Nord Stream pipelines to be restored. These people are either sick or suicidal," he added.

Media outlets previously reported that Matthias Warnig, a former East German Stasi officer and longtime associate of Putin, is lobbying in the US for a relaunch of Nord Stream 2.

Commenting on this, the European Commission stated that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project does not serve the common interest of European Union member states.