The United States on Monday announced its decision to impose additional sanctions in connection with the Nord Stream-2 pipeline.
This was stated in a statement by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, released by the State Department on November 22, reports European Pravda.
Blinken said that the State Department filed a report with the U.S. Congress that included two ships and the Russian-affiliated company Transadria Ltd. involved in the project on the sanctions list. The report is filed under the Protecting European Energy Security Act of 2019 (PEESA).
"Transadria Ltd. will come under sanctions under PEESA and its Marlin vessel will be identified as a blocked asset," Blinken said.
He stressed that the U.S. administration has already sanctioned a total of eight individuals and identified 17 of their vessels as blocked property under PEESA in connection with Nord Stream 2.
"While the administration continues to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including because of our sanctions, we continue to work with Germany and other allies and partners to reduce the risks that the pipeline poses to Ukraine and NATO and EU countries on the front lines and to fight back against harmful Russian activities, including in the energy sector," Blinken said.
Note that the Biden administration waived sanctions against the pipeline operator this summer and reached an agreement with Germany in July to complete construction of the pipeline.
Germany agreed to take action against Russia if Russia used gas as a weapon in its relations with Ukraine, but the agreement with the U.S. did not include specific criteria for how this would be assessed.
As a reminder, last week the German regulator temporarily suspended the certification process for the operator of Nord Stream 2. Because of this decision, the commissioning of Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline may be delayed until March next year.
