Foreign Minister Tsahkna: The right place for Nord Stream 2 is at the bottom of the sea
Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
03.03.2025
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said reports of the relaunching of Nord Stream 2 are a step in the wrong direction for European energy security.
"Russia has repeatedly used energy as a weapon against Europe, and it is using energy exports to finance its war in Ukraine. If reports about plans to relaunch Nord Stream 2 turn out to be true, it would be a step in a completely wrong direction as far as European energy security is concerned," Tsahkna said.
He noted that following Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, the European Union has made efforts to exit from Russian energy imports. Before February 2022, Russian gas made up 45% of the EU's gas imports, and it is currently at 13%. The EU has sanctioned Russian oil and oil products and coal imports.
"In late March, the European Commission will present an action plan for phasing out Russian energy to implement the political agreement in the EU to end energy imports from Russia by 2027. The possible proposal to launch Nord Stream 2 does not align with this goal," Tsahkna said. "Launching Nord Stream 2 would require the US to lift its sanctions on the project, and now is definitely not the right time for this."
Foreign Minister Tsahkna said that instead of discussions on Nord Stream 2 shipments, Estonia expects the USA to ramp up energy sanctions on Russia, for example, by lowering the price cap for oil in cooperation with the G7 and the EU, or listing the shadow fleet. He also stressed that the EU should aim for reducing its imports of LNG from Russia.
"The right place for Nord Stream 2 is at the bottom of the sea, in pieces, not on the EU's energy market. Instead, we are welcoming gas supplies from the United States to the EU, not Russia," Tsahkna said.
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