The US authorities will continue to put pressure on Germany over the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and sanctions are possible against the companies involved in this project. This was announced on January 18 by Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov.
“No matter what they say in Berlin, the United States will continue to put pressure on the Federal Republic of Germany over Nord Stream 2. There is a consensus on this issue between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. New sanctions against companies participating in the project are also very likely, ”he wrote in his Telegram channel.
On the eve it became known that the US government plans to impose sanctions against the Russian pipelayer – the Fortuna barge, which is engaged in the construction of Nord Stream 2, and its owner, the Moscow micro-enterprise KBT-Rus.
As Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, said, Russia has prepared for such a scenario. He also added that the sanctions will not affect the construction of the gas pipeline itself, but will affect its fate at the end of the work.
In turn, the German government accepted this decision of the US authorities with regret. Earlier in Berlin, the American authorities were repeatedly criticized for putting pressure on an important project for Europe. To date, more than 2,300 km of the approximately 2,460 km of the pipeline have been completed.
Washington imposed unilateral extraterritorial restrictions against the project in December 2019. The US then expanded them with a defense budget for 2021. The document extended the restrictions to organizations that provided services for testing, inspection or certification. The Norwegian company DNV GL has confirmed that it will stop checking the pipeline and will not be able to certify it.
Nord Stream 2 is being built from Russia to the FRG along the Baltic seabed with the aim of direct and reliable gas supplies to Europe. The EU countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. The USA, the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine are against.