The Biden administration is expected to announce soon that the United States will be officially imposing a new suite of sanctions against Russia’s gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, in reaction to the Russian actions along the Ukrainian border.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline serves to connect Germany and Russia and has been under fire as helping Russia to such an extent that it could end up threatening the rest of Europe. Old Uncle Joe has, in the past, blocked the use of sanctions against the pipeline, but multiple sources have informed CNN that he will allow them to carry out these sanctions in efforts to try and stop the possible war in Europe.
As reported by CNN, three officials in the U.S. have confirmed that the sanctions would be part of a series of new penalties aimed at Russia:
The administration decided to move forward with rescinding the national security waiver after Germany on Tuesday announced that it was halting the certification of the pipeline, the official said. Sanctioning Nord Stream 2’s parent company, Nord Stream 2 AG—a registered Swiss firm whose parent company is the Russian gas giant Gazprom—is effectively a death knell to the project, the official added.
It was reported by The Daily Wire on Wednesday that Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, responded against sanctions that were placed by the U.S. government by stating that they would only end up hurting Americans:
Antonov responded to the sanctions in a post on the official Facebook page of Russia’s Embassy in the U.S., writing that “sanctions cannot solve a thing.”
“It is hard to imagine that there is a person in Washington who expects Russia to revise its foreign policy under a threat of restrictions,” he wrote. “I don’t remember a single day when our country lived without any restrictions from the Western world. We have learned to work in such conditions. And not only to survive, but also to develop our state.”
“There is no doubt that the sanctions introduced against us will hit global financial and energy markets,” he continued. “The United States will not be left out, with its ordinary citizens feeling the consequences of the price increase in full.”
At the beginning of January, Ned Price, the spokesperson for the Biden administration State Department, claimed that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will “not move forward” if Russia proceeds with its plans to try and invade Ukraine. The Wire also reported:
“I’d make two points here. No. 1 – gas is not currently flowing through Nord Stream 2, and that’s important because it means that Nord Stream 2 right now is not operational,” Price said.
“It is leverage for us. It is leverage for Germany. It is leverage for the trans-Atlantic community because gas is not flowing. To be clear, it is not leverage for Vladimir Putin,” he added.
In addition to addressing the current status of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Price noted the project will not move forward if a Russian invasion of Ukraine takes place.
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