The White House on Thursday, January 13, did not support the draft proposed earlier by Republican Senator Ted Cruz on new sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This was reported in the US administration on the eve of the vote of legislators, reports RIA News.
The administration strongly objects to the bill obliging to impose sanctions against those responsible for the work on Nord Stream 2
Also, the US administration doubted that the bill would help Ukraine, and at the same time would not “undermine the unity of European allies.”
After that, the Senate of the US Congress rejected Cruz’s bill on sanctions. The decision was made during a meeting of the upper house of the legislature, the document could not get the necessary 60 votes (out of 100 possible) for approval.
60 out of 100 votes
had to type a bill during a meeting of the upper house of the legislature for approval
Under the Cruz bill, it was proposed to impose sanctions on the Russian gas pipeline, as well as organizations responsible for its design, construction and operation, within 15 days after its approval. In this case, Congress would have the right to vote for the re-introduction of restrictions in the event that the American president decides to cancel them.
Criticism of Cruz’s bill
On January 11, it was reported that US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Senior Adviser on Global Energy Security at the State Department Amos Hochstein decided to dissuade a group of Democratic senators from imposing sanctions against Nord Stream 2. Nuland and Hochstein briefed a group of Democratic senators, highlighting the administration’s opposition to Cruz’s bill, Politico journalist Andrew Desiderio said. Nuland later admitted that the United States is working with Germany and the EU to slow down the launch of the Russian gas pipeline.
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After the news about the briefing appeared, on January 12, US Democratic Senator Mark Warner criticized the bill imposing new sanctions. The Democrat expressed skepticism about the Russian project. However, he said that US restrictive measures against Nord Stream 2 would betray the interests of Germany.
Prior to this, Politico had also reported in early January that it was likely that Cruz’s sanctions bill would not pass. The main reason the publication called the reluctance to interfere with US President Joe Biden to interact with Russia. At the same time, the Republican Party said that the vote for the amendments would be accepted by an “overwhelming majority.”
What does Ukraine have to do with it?
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline directly depends on the development of the situation around Ukraine. According to the European Commissioner, if the situation does not escalate, gas supplies will begin when the German and European regulators give a positive assessment of the pipeline.
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According to Borrell, Nord Stream 2 is a private project implemented by a group of companies, including those from Germany and from other EU countries. Therefore, it is impossible to ban the operation of the gas pipeline after certification is completed. At the same time, he stressed that the European Union does not consider infrastructure as a priority.
However, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht urged not to confuse the situation around Ukraine and the gas pipeline, since these projects are completely unrelated. She expressed hope that the tension could be removed through diplomacy.
US “Nervous Breakdown”
In Russia, the draft of a new package of US sanctions, which could affect not only high-ranking officials, but also the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, was called a nervous breakdown of American officials. This opinion was expressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
I think this is a kind of nervous breakdown. It is in the endless assertion of their own greatness that people have reached a psychological point that is difficult to explain.
Pipeline readiness
In mid-December, the head of the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), Jochen Hohmann, said that the regulator is unlikely to be able to certify the gas pipeline in the first half of 2022.
In terms of construction, Nord Stream 2 is completely ready for operation. Both threads are filled with technical gas. However, the project operator Nord Stream 2 AG has not yet announced that it has submitted documents to BNetzA about a subsidiary that it is creating to manage the gas pipeline in Germany.
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