OREANDA-NEWS. Political obstacles may stand in the way of commissioning the fully completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Marina Tsygankova, senior gas analyst at the international analytical company Refinitiv, told RIA Novosti.

Although on September 10, Gazprom announced that the construction of the pipeline was fully completed, and the head of the concern, Alexey Miller, noted that the company could supply the first gas to the European market this heating season, and by the end of the year, supplies through it could amount to 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas, the pipeline operator certification process must be completed prior to commercial deliveries.

"And this will become the main deterrent to the start of supplies. I think that political obstacles should not be ruled out, since we know that there are several countries opposed to the project," Tsygankova said. Ukraine, Poland, and the USA were previously named among such countries.

Some fears are associated with the results of the federal elections in Germany, which will be held on September 26, the expert said. The Greens are against the project, and the better they perform in the elections, the more difficult it will be to maintain political support for the pipeline in the German government, Tsygankova said. Namely in Germany, the first stage of certification of the Nord Stream 2 operator is currently underway.

"Do not forget about the US sanctions, which suspended the construction of the gas pipeline for almost a year. The administration of US President Joseph Biden lifted the sanctions in May, but in July Germany and the US agreed to impose restrictions on Russia if it uses gas pipelines, including" Nord Stream 2 "as a weapon against Ukraine and other Central European countries," she concludes.