The State Duma responded to reports about the plans of a US businessman to buy LNG-2

Igor Ananskikh, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Energy Committee, has questioned the possibility of selling the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline to private individuals. This is how the deputy responded on Friday, November 22, to media reports about the plans of a U.S. businessman to buy the pipeline if it is put up for auction.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the day before that American investor Stephen Lynch wants to buy the Nord Stream-2 pipeline if it is put up for auction as part of bankruptcy proceedings in Switzerland.

According to the publication, Lynch appealed to the U.S. government to allow him to participate in the auction, reports 360.ru. He noted that he is ready to purchase the pipeline "for pennies". It is specified that "Nord Stream - 2" was estimated at $11 billion.

In addition, the investor applied for a license from the U.S. Treasury Department, the possession of which will allow him to negotiate the construction of the pipeline with organizations currently under U.S. sanctions, reports IA Regnum.

Lynch added that American ownership of the pipeline would "provide leverage in negotiations with Russia" to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and serve US interests, RT reported. When the conflict ends, he said, Russia and its former customers in Germany and Europe as a whole "will be tempted to turn on the pipeline" regardless of who owns it.

"There is no doubt that the confrontation will end at some point. Everyone in Europe realizes that Germany's economic death began with the destruction of Nord Streams, so it's understandable that everyone will try to get back to the issue as quickly as possible. Therefore, I believe that they are unlikely to sell, especially since the pipeline is owned by a consortium of major companies, not Gazprom," Ananskikh explained in a conversation with Lenta.Ru.

He added that the statement of the American businessman once again confirms the demand for "Nord Stream - 2" for the whole of Europe.

Der Spiegel published new data on the sabotage of the "Nord Streams". What you need to know

Earlier, on November 21, Der Spiegel, citing sources, reported that the SP gas pipeline was blown up by a group of Ukrainians, some of them in the past had ties with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They specified that the cost of the whole operation amounted to up to $300 thousand. Ines Peterson, spokeswoman for the German Federal Supreme Court, responding to Izvestia's question, refused to comment on the magazine's latest publications, which revealed details of the sabotage on the Nord Streams.

Prior to that, on September 25, the German government confirmed that several arrest warrants had been issued during the investigation into the JV undermining. On September 8, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the country would make every effort to investigate and called for the investigation to be conducted in an unbiased manner. The Kremlin agreed with the call, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to the importance of information sharing instead of leaks.

Leaks at Nord Streams in the Baltic Sea were discovered in September 2022. Two powerful underwater explosions were registered on the pipelines. Traces of explosives were found at the accident site. Russia is seeking an international investigation into the terrorist attacks. In February 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that the CIA was responsible for the explosions. At the same time, the head of state added that Russia is ready to supply gas to Europe through the surviving pipeline SP-2, according to the website kp.ru.