The United States is imposing sanctions on the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, US President Joe Biden said.
“Today I instructed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers. These steps are another part of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As I have already made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate,” Biden said in a statement posted on the White House website.
Biden added that Russian President Vladimir Putin, through his actions, “provided the world with a powerful incentive to move away from Russian gas and switch to other forms of energy.” The US President thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his cooperation on this issue and commitment to holding Moscow accountable for its actions.
Yesterday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the suspension of the certification of the operator Nord Stream 2 AG. Berlin took this measure due to the fact that Russia on February 21 recognized the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR). Later, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock clarified that the gas pipeline project was “frozen”. It can be completely stopped, German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said today.
Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, bypassing the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine, and has a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year. Poland and Ukraine, along with the United States, consider him Moscow’s “lever of pressure” on Western partners. In this regard, Washington has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions against the gas pipeline.
Nord Stream 2 AG was established by Gazprom’s subsidiary, Gazprom international projects LLC. The executive director of the Nord Stream 2 operator is the German Matthias Warnig. In addition to Gazprom, German Uniper and Wintershall Dea, British-Dutch Shell, Austrian OMV and French Engie invested in the gas pipeline project.