Putin Hopes Biden Will Fix Problems in US-Russia Relations

During his annual press conference on Thursday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he hopes the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will contribute to the solution of the most pressing problems in bilateral diplomatic relations.

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"We hope the U.S. President-elect understands what is happening. He is a man experienced in national and international politics. And we trust all problems, or at least part of them, will be solved with the new Administration," Putin said.

Addressing the issues of bilateral diplomacy, the Kremlin chief alluded to the construction of the "Nord Stream 2 AG" pipeline, which will transport Russian gas to Germany through the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Faced with claims that this infrastructure would increase energy dependence on the European Union, Putin added that the construction of the gas pipeline responds to the interests of Germany and other European countries.

"It is absolutely clear that Nord Stream 2 is a beneficial project for both the European economy and the German economy," he assured.

Over the last years, however, the United States has deployed economic sanctions to stop this multinational initiative because it considers that the gas pipeline strengthens Russia and threatens Ukraine's energy security.

In this sense, Putin trusted that the new U.S. Administration will treat its European partners and allies with "respect" and will not pressure them to "ignore their national interests."

After a hiatus of nearly a year,  the construction of the gas pipeline resumed last week in German waters. The Switzerland-based consortium Nord Stream 2 AG comprises the companies Gazprom (Russia), Engie (France), OMV (Austria), Shell (Netherlands), and Uniper and Wintershall (Germany).

To date, this business coalition has completed 94 percent of a gas pipeline that will bring 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year to Europe.