Following recent reports of an American investor’s bid, the Serbian president has predicted a US acquisition of the pipeline.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic forecasts that the damaged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could become US property within a year, potentially resuming Russian gas flows to the EU.
Vucic shared this prediction in a Friday interview with Handelsblatt, a German news outlet.
“I predict: Within a year, at most, Nord Stream will be owned by an American investor, and gas will flow from Russia to Europe,” Vucic stated. “Mark my words. Nord Stream will be operational within a year!”
Intended to transport Russian gas to Germany and Western Europe, the pipeline suffered explosions on the Baltic Sea floor in September 2022.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that US investor Stephen Lynch had sought US Treasury Department approval to purchase the damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline, should it be auctioned next year.
Lynch framed the potential acquisition as a strategic move benefiting long-term US interests, suggesting pipeline ownership would provide leverage in any Ukraine peace negotiations with Russia.
Lynch reportedly believes he could acquire the roughly $11 billion pipeline for a significantly reduced price, calling it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the US to influence the EU’s energy supply.
Although no one has claimed responsibility for the 2022 pipeline attack, Western media reports have implicated individuals linked to Ukraine.
Russia, citing its position as a major LNG supplier to Europe, has suggested the US benefited from the attack and even implied US culpability.
Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, recently alleged his agency possessed evidence of “direct involvement” by US and British special services in the Nord Stream sabotage. These allegations are denied by London, Washington, and Kyiv.
“`