OREANDA-NEWS. The Russian «Nord Stream — 2» gas pipeline does not threaten the UK economy and does not affect its economy, the British edition of the Daily Express said, citing the words of the Minister of Entrepreneurship, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng. According to him, the Kingdom does not need to participate in the project, and London also does not need gas storage facilities.

«We are much less dependent on supplies from Russia than many of our partners from the EU», the official said. Britain itself produces the fuel it needs, of which Norway is the main importer.

Earlier, the British magazine Spiked stated that the European Union considered Russia obliged to provide assistance against the background of the energy crisis, while a number of countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, are preventing the launch of «Nord Stream — 2» and accuse Moscow of trying to benefit. According to journalist Mary Dejevsky, the behavior of Western countries can be described as illogical, since they blame Russia for the problems they created themselves.

From the beginning of August to the end of September, the price of gas in Europe has more than doubled. The historical maximum was recorded on October 6 — $1937 per one thousand cubic meters.