A bipartisan proposal to expand US sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was introduced in Congress in early June, with Russia slamming the restrictive American measures as a violation of international law.
Now, a female controlled US House of Representatives has approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), stipulating the imposition of new sanctions on companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
The move followed Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell’s statement last week that the EU opposes the use of sanctions by third countries against “European companies carrying out legitimate business.
However, the EU considers the extraterritorial application of sanctions to be contrary to international law. European policies should be determined here in Europe not by third countries.
Referring to the Nord Stream 2 project, he expressed concern over the “growing use of sanctions, or threat of sanctions” by the Trump administration toward European “companies and interests”.
The statement came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Washington’s plans to sanction the companies working on Nord Stream 2 under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected the new sanctions as a form of “political pressure” aimed at “ensuring unfair competition” against Moscow.
This is an indicator of the weakness of the American system. Apart from strong-arm tactics, they do not have any other effective tools”, she underlined.
The remarks were preceded by a bipartisan group of US senators last month introducing new sanctions targeting Nord Stream 2, with the bill called the “Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act”.
The bill would extend the scope of sanctions levied against Nord Stream 2 to include all companies that provide certification, insurance, and port facilities for pipe-laying vessels related to the project.
The USA has long opposed Nord Stream 2, claiming that it would grant Moscow political leverage over Europe by increasing the latter’s dependency on Russian gas.
Pressure was allegedly imposed on Germany, a key member of the project, despite Berlin vehemently insisting that Nord Stream 2 is purely economic in nature.
Moscow says that Washington’s sanctions will not derail the project’s implementation, adding it views such actions as a manifestation of unfair competition that runs against international law.
Apart from the Russian energy giant Gazprom, five European companies are involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2, including France’s ENGIE, Austria’s OMV, the UK-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell, as well as Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall.
When completed, the pipeline will be capable of transiting up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year from Russia to Germany, thereby doubling the capacity of the existing Nord Stream network, and turning Germany into a gas hub.
Desperation by the Americans. Nord Stream 2 & Turk Stream will serve over a dozen European nations when completed. The American-British-Zionist faction cannot accept reality and cannot confront Russia militarily. They are reduced to sanctions & threats.
USA and Globalists are holding the entire world as hostage, simply they are dictating it is OUR WAY or no way. Europe in its wildest dreams could not have seen these sanctions coming to them. Also according to one political analyst USA has gone completely MAD.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point Oil & Gas Boycott News 2020.
The Americans have proven to be desperate to give up their global hegemony. The only options left are to take other countries with them down the drain?
The devil in disguise?