Nord Stream-2 finds bypass from Eastern Europe

In spite of all the difficulties, Gazprom is methodically approaching to the implementation of the Nord Stream-2 project. The main obstacle on this path became a coalition of Eastern European countries, led by Poland and Slovakia. To solve this issue, the Russian side is looking for a way to breach this coalition.

TURN OF SLOVAKIA

Last week, head of Gazprom Alexei Miller reported about the reaching an agreement with the operator of the gas transportation system in Slovakia, the company Eustream, on the use of its facilities for the Nord Stream-2 project. The top manager said that the cooperation between the companies will be "long-term".

Until recently, Slovakia, along with Poland, remained the most ardent opponents of the project. In contrast to the politically motivated Warsaw, Bratislava pursued purely commercial objectives. Termination of the Russian gas transit through the Ukraine, from which Slovakia received fuel for its own use and for pumping to Europe, threatened with significant financial losses - more than 800 million euro per year, which is a huge sum for a small country.