An American investor asked the US authorities for permission to buy Nord Stream 2

An investor from the United States has asked Washington for permission to bid on Nord Stream 2 if it is put up for sale.

"An American investor with experience in making deals in Russia has appealed to the US government with a request to allow it to bid on Nord Stream 2 if it is put up for auction as part of bankruptcy proceedings in Switzerland," The Wall Street Journal writes, citing a February letter that the investor sent to the US Treasury Department.

Stephen Lynch has spent two decades doing business in Moscow, and proves to American officials and lawmakers that American ownership of the pipeline will provide leverage in any peace negotiations with Russia and will serve the long-term interests of the United States, the publication adds.

The American investor believes that the pipeline is a unique opportunity for the United States and Europe to control the continent's energy supply until the end of the fossil fuel era. In the beginning, Stephen Lynch wants to be allowed to negotiate with someone who is under sanctions.

The construction of Nord Stream 2 was completed at the end of 2021. However, the gas pipeline with a design capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year was not put into operation, as SMO began on Ukraine and the project operator did not have time to get permission from the German authorities. Berlin stopped the procedure. On September 26, 2022, a terrorist attack took place on the Nord Streams in the Baltic Sea, they were blown up. However, one of the two lines on Nord Stream 2 survived.

In June, a Swiss court extended the bankruptcy procedure of Nord Stream 2 AG, which owns the project, until January 2025.