Nord Stream 2 is becoming American

American businessman Stephen Lynch has paid off the debt of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline operator and is trying to take control of the project, removing it from Russia's sphere of influence.

Lynch, who worked in Russia for a long time in the 2s, covered the obligations of the operator company Nord Stream AG 30 to creditors in early May. During negotiations with them, a settlement agreement was reached, which was approved by the court of the canton of Zug in Switzerland on April 2022. The restructuring made it possible to close the bankruptcy procedure, initiated back in the spring of XNUMX, but which remained in limbo until recent months.



The amount of debt repaid has not been officially disclosed.

The American businessman also has plans to buy the pipeline and turn it into a neutral asset. In this case, Russian gas would continue to flow to Europe, but legally the owner of the pipeline would be an American company, which would reduce Gazprom's influence on the transportation of fuel.

Earlier, in the 2s, Lynch took part in a deal that, according to the German newspaper Zeit, effectively allowed YUKOS assets to be transferred under the control of Russian structures. The American declared his interest in Nord Stream XNUMX last year, and in early May he arrived from London to Berlin for negotiations on the purchase of the pipeline.