US Imposes Sanctions On Another Nord Stream 2 Firm
By Petr Dubinsky
The United States imposed further sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The target is the company Transadria, connected with Russia, and its ship, which worked on the pipeline, wrote the AP agency. Nord Stream 2 is to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The pipeline is ready, but it still needs to get a permit in Germany to start operating.
Nord Stream 2 is facing criticism from the United States and some European countries, according to which Moscow wants to use the pipeline as a geopolitical weapon to increase the European Union's dependence on Russia. However, other European countries see Nord Stream 2 as an important tool for security of supply at a time when Europe is facing a sharp rise in gas prices, Reuters reported.
The pipeline route bypasses Ukraine, which is likely to lose Russian gas transit fees. "While we continue to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including through sanctions, we continue to work with Germany and other allies and partners to reduce the risks that the pipeline poses to Ukraine and the EU and NATO countries at the forefront and to curb harmful Russian activities, including those in energy, "Blinken said.
The German Federal Network Agency last week announced that it had temporarily suspended the Nord Stream 2 pipeline approval process. It requires the operator to first adjust its business structure under German law.