NYTimes: A Conduit for Russian Gas, Tangled in Europe’s Conflicts

The port of Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was supposed to be the gateway for a major new pipeline, directly connecting Europe to Russia’s vast natural gas supplies. Now the project has stalled, as Bulgaria finds itself torn between the European Union and Russia in the escalating conflict over Ukraine.

In early June, European officials demanded that the Bulgarian government halt work on the pipeline, saying it breached the region’s rules.

Soon after, a delegation of senators, including Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin; John McCain, Republican of Arizona; and Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, met with Bulgaria’s prime minister to raise concerns about the project and the influence it gives Russia. They also criticized a pipeline contract awarded to a Russian company sanctioned by the United States. At a joint news conference later, Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski announced that Bulgaria would block the pipeline, called South Stream.
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