Initially, the us Senate and then the House of representatives by an overwhelming number of votes passed a package of sanctions against Russia, which will affect vitally important for the Russian budget the flow of funds: sale of gas to European States.
The Polish government is in conflict with the European Commission and the European institutions do not support the idea of blocking the construction of the pipeline “Nord stream — 2”. The decision of Americans can help Poland out of isolation and give her a chance to form a coalition against Gazprom.
Squeeze the Russian company
Sanctions fit into the was announced by President Donald trump a plan to increase liquefied natural gas exports. Export potential of the USA is about 180 billion cubic meters per year, over the next three years abroad will start to arrive about half this amount. Americans now use one gas terminal, but there are plans to add four more, and the administration on filings for energy companies supported the construction of 11 such objects. It will be a massive energy attack, which will transform the world market of hydrocarbons and, therefore, the geopolitical situation.
Passed by Congress a package of sanctions represents Russia in the image of the competitor on the gas market. The congressmen accused her that she uses these raw materials as a political tool, calling to block new investments in the transport network (including the “Nord stream — 2”), and also want to support Ukraine in its quest to gain energy independence.
Sanctions will apply to all foreign companies that decide to invest in the construction of new pipelines used to transport gas from Russia. This means that they will not be able to do business with American firms, citizens or the American government.
Energy companies from Germany, France, Italy and Austria will have to choose on the contract which country they want to earn: with Russia or with the United States. For many of them it is a serious dilemma. Engie French company said that its further participation in the construction of the pipeline “Nord stream — 2” depends on whether the sanctions come into force. The German leadership, in turn, called the projects related to the creation of transport networks to the “Nord stream”, unreliable.
Eventually — after a wave of protests — European concerns will not go to risk of loss of contact with Americans for the sake of business with Russia. The blow was precise: until now, anyone, including European institutions, which are designed to promote the policy of diversifying the supply of raw materials to Europe, could not stop the “Nord stream”. It will make the American sanctions.
New gas attack
All this can not but rejoice Poland. US policy was in line with our strategy of gaining energy independence from Russia. Replacing Russian gas with American seems the ideal solution from a geopolitical point of view. However, we have to increase the capacity of the gas terminal in świnoujście (or even to build a second), and run a transport network for North-South and new pipelines, covering a block of countries East of the EU and Ukraine. Then the problem is the price of American gas.
The advantages of the new situation will be that the terminal and the transport network will allow us, if American raw materials are too expensive to buy gas in the world. When gas supplies through Russian pipelines have no choice, we were not.
US interests coincided with ours, and it is a good omen. Now we have to stick to the intended path to with the support of the United States to persuade the EU to transform the European gas market: the restriction of supply from Russia and increased purchases on the open market, primarily from the Americans.
This time our geopolitical concept is not contrary to the economic interests of America, and that means it has a chance for implementation.
