World / Europe TRUMP SANCTIONS WARNING Germany to stick with Russian gas Gas is to start flowing to Europe through the pipeline at the end of 2019 BL PREMIUM

London -The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is important to secure German energy supplies and Russia is a safe and reliable provider, Thomas Bareiss, Germany’s state secretary for energy, says. US President Donald Trump has said the project increases reliance on Russian gas and has warned Western firms invested in it that they risk sanctions. Gas is to start flowing to Europe through the pipeline at the end of 2019 and will allow Russia’s Gazprom to stop piping gas via Ukraine, where for years it has clashed with authorities over pricing and other issues. Gazprom and its partners say the project is aimed at ensuring energy security in Europe, where gas production is falling. "I know the US has concerns ... but it is not so easy. For Germany Russia has always been a safe and reliable supplier for gas," Bareiss told the Bloomberg NEF Future of Energy summit. "Nord Stream 2 should go on because the pipeline secures energy supply in Europe," he told the conference in London. Nord Stream 2 wi...