Antonov said Moscow does not accept such rhetoric, ‘just as we cannot accept the practice of illegitimate unilateral sanctions,’ in statements to the press, as quoted by the TASS news agency.

The official assured that the hostile tone towards Russia of the declaration contradicts the spirit of the talks between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joseph Biden, on June 16th, in Geneva.

As agreed on Wednesday between Washington and Berlin, the United States will not hinder the completion of Nord Stream 2, but reserves the right to act against the alleged ‘use of energy by Russia as a geopolitical weapon in Europe’ and for the ‘aggression against Ukraine’.

The document also states that in such cases, Germany will have to take ‘swift action’ at the national level and ‘insist on effective action at the level of the European Union.’

‘Attempts to present us as an aggressor and a country that carries out malicious activities have become the hallmark of Russophobes. The threats directed at us are unfounded and useless,’ Antonov said. ‘We have never imposed our supplies on anyone, we do not use energy resources as an instrument of political pressure and we do not try to solve any narrowly opportunistic objective as attributed to us,’ he said.

The diplomat stressed that Russia has proven to be a reliable partner during many years of honest interaction with Europe and other hydrocarbon consumers, and denounced that behind such accusations are the US attempts to establish unfair competition.

Nord Stream 2 will facilitate the movement of up to 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Russia to Germany through the bottom of the Baltic Sea, but will hurt US companies that sell shale natural gas to countries in the region.

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