This is reported by the Wall Street Journal.
In February, Lynch approached the U.S. Department of the Treasury seeking a license that would allow him to negotiate for the pipeline with parties under American sanctions. The publication obtained this letter of request.
Lynch emphasized that the pipeline, valued at approximately $11 billion, could be "purchased for pennies." He also suggested that many investors would refrain from participating in the bidding due to geopolitical concerns, and among the other bidders, there would likely be Russian proxies, Chinese companies, or other entities counter to U.S. interests.
As WSJ reports, the billionaire stressed in conversations with American officials that acquiring this pipeline would provide the U.S. with leverage in any peace negotiations with Russia, including efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Lynch also noted that owning this pipeline would enable Washington to "control energy supplies to Europe until the end of the fossil fuel era."
He is an American investor who has been doing business in Moscow for nearly two decades. Previously, he received a license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to finalize the acquisition of the Swiss subsidiary of Russia's Sberbank in 2022, after Washington imposed sanctions on the parent company.
Lynch also financially supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign and claimed that he "wants to be the richest person you've never heard of."
This is an expansion of the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea, stretching 1,234 km. It runs through the economic zones and territorial waters of five countries: Denmark, Germany, Russia, Finland, and Sweden.
The original project envisioned the construction of two pipeline strings with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The route runs alongside the first string of the Nord Stream.
Declassified documents from 2024 revealed that the German government, contrary to official statements, was closely involved in the construction of the pipeline.