Putin Says That First Line Of Nord Stream 2 Is Now Complete

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that laying the pipes for the first of two lines of the prospective Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany has now been "successfully completed." Addressing an economic forum in St. Petersburg on June 4, Putin also said that "work on the second line is continuing." While the underwater section still needs to be linked to the section on German territory, Russian energy giant Gazprom "is ready to start filing Nord Stream 2 with gas," he added. Gazprom shares went up 0.6 percent after Putin's comments, reaching…