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US senator confirms Washington waives sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG

Congress received a mandatory report from the State Department regarding entities involved in sanctionable activity by the builders of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline

© Bernd Wuestneck/dpa via AP

WASHINGTON, May 20. /TASS/. The US administration has refused to impose sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of Nord Stream 2, and its chief executive, Matthias Warnig, on national security interests. This is according to a written statement published on Wednesday by the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Robert Menendez (New Jersey).

"Congress received a mandatory report from the State Department regarding entities involved in sanctionable activity by the builders of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Citing U.S. national security interests, the Biden Administration announced it would waive mandatory sanctions on the company Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO Matthias Warnig," the document says.

Earlier, Axios news website, citing two sources, reported that the US administration intends to waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of Nord Stream 2, and its Managing Director Matthias Warnig. The report noted that the administration of US President Joe Biden does not intend to spoil relations with Germany because of the gas pipeline, but the State Department will advocate restrictions against several Russian courts.

The Nord Stream 2 project implies the construction of two lines of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The work was suspended in December 2019 after the Swiss Allseas Group abandoned pipe-laying due to possible US sanctions. In December 2020, the construction of the gas pipeline resumed after a year's pause. By now, Nord Stream 2 is 95% completed.

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