Monday 22 November 2021
Pressure because of Nord Stream 2
New US sanctions against German companies
German companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have nothing to fear from the USA – this is what the agreement concluded between Chancellor Merkel and US President Biden. But the US government is now putting pressure on it: There are new sanctions.
The USA wants to impose further sanctions because of the controversial German-Russian natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Transadria, which is involved in the pipeline and is connected to Russia, and its ship “Merlin” are affected. This means that eight people or facilities and 17 ships are now subject to sanctions.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken stressed that the new penalties are in line with the US government’s opposition to the pipeline that will bring gas from Russia to Germany bypassing Ukraine. At the same time, cooperation with Germany and other allies will be continued in order to reduce the risk of the pipeline for Ukraine and eastern NATO countries.
Critics see Nord Stream 2 primarily as a geopolitical project for Russia. In the year-long dispute over the project, the federal government and the government of US President Joe Biden announced a breakthrough in July. They issued a joint statement pledging support to Ukraine. The US government also admitted that it will no longer be able to prevent the pipeline and therefore initially refrained from more drastic sanctions – for example against the pipeline operating company registered in Switzerland.
The announcement of the latest sanctions is part of a report to the US Congress that the government is required by law to submit. Every three months she has to submit a progress report to Parliament on her efforts on Nord Stream 2. However, no natural gas has yet flowed through the completed 1230-kilometer double line from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. Last week, the Federal Network Agency suspended a necessary certification process for the time being. The operator Nord Stream 2 AG is a subsidiary of the Russian gas company Gazprom.