The first Russian-made nuclear fuel assemblies with experimental accident-tolerant fuel rods (ATF) for commercial reactor have been manufactured and passed acceptance inspection at Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, a fabrication facility of ROSATOM’s TVEL Fuel Company.

Last week, Russia and Ukraine announced the terms of a new gas transit deal under which Moscow will supply Europe for at least five years via its former Soviet neighbor and pay a $2.9 billion settlement to Kiev to end a legal dispute.

“Of course we will finish building (the pipeline)... Gazprom has alternative options for how to lay it. It will take a little more time, but that’s no big deal,” Medvedev told journalists, adding that it could take a couple more months.

Gazprom is showing that the strategy chosen for 2020 -- and potentially over the longer term -- is to defend its market share in Europe by flooding the Continent with cheap gas, send alternative sources of supply, in particular LNG, out of the money, traders told

Ukraine is a key transit route for Russian piped gas exports to Europe and the existing deal between the two post-Soviet countries expires at the end of 2019.

“Such sanctions are a serious interference in the internal affairs of Germany and Europe and their sovereignty. We firmly reject this,” Scholz told German broadcaster ARD in comments released on Saturday. But he rejected countermeasures.

The EU first imposed energy sanctions in July 2014 when it limited Russia 's access to European technology and services for developing Arctic, deepwater and unconventional oil resources.

Switzerland’s AllSeas Group SA removed vessels that were laying the last section of the pipeline connecting Russia with Germany, which was just weeks away from completion, after U.S. President Donald Trump approved sanctions targeting the project.

In anticipation of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Allseas has suspended its Nord Stream 2 pipelay activities. Allseas will proceed, consistent with the legislation’s wind down provision and expect guidance comprising of the necessary regulatory, technical and environmental clarifications from the relevant US authority.

The project could cost 1 trillion yen ($9.1 billion). The parties plan to make a final investment decision in 2021 and start production in 2027.