Kremlin Says U.S. Should Focus on Texas Instead of Nord Stream 2

The Kremlin has said the U.S. should mind its own business when it comes to Moscow’s work on the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline and focus on power outages in Texas instead.

Millions of people in Texas were left without power and drinking water this week due to an abnormally severe winter storm. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is reportedly considering new sanctions on Nord Stream 2, which will carry Russian natural gas to Germany and western Europe beneath the Baltic Sea once complete. 

The pipeline “has absolutely nothing to do with the energy supply of the United States,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said to reporters Thursday, according to Interfax.

“It makes sense for our American partners to be less interested in Nord Stream 2 and more interested in Texas’ heat and energy supply,” Peskov added.

Russia and the U.S. have long been at odds over the $11 billion pipeline’s construction, which resumed on Feb. 6 after coming to a halt last year amid pressure from the Trump administration. 

Washington argues that Nord Stream 2 will allow Moscow to wield its energy resources to exert political influence in Europe. 

At his annual press conference in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that the pipeline will be completed.