WASHINGTON, February 9. /TASS/. The US administration rejects the approach that envisages new tough sanctions against Nord Stream 2 pipeline project participants at this point, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.
"I would say that <…> there’s a disagreement <…> between us and some in Congress who suggest that sanctioning Nord Stream 2 now would be effective. We don’t agree. We believe that it is a point of leverage," she said, adding that "that making clear it will not proceed if Russia invades is a point of leverage."
"And that’s why we’re proceeding on the path we are. We don’t think that approach [of tough sanctions at this point] would work," the spokesperson added.
She did not answer directly to the question about whether the United States and its allies would view a powerful Russian cyberattack on Ukraine as a reason to undertake new measures against the gas pipeline project.
"Obviously, we don’t think Nord Stream 2 is a good deal or a good project; we’ve been very clear about that," Psaki said. "And I think, right now, what we’re focused on is what we think the right diplomatic tactic is, as it relates to deterrence, which is part of approach."
The official added that Washington had "a range of contingencies" and continued to work to be lockstep with its partners.
The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. Its construction was fully completed on September 10, 2021.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 29 that Russia and its partners had fulfilled their objective of creating Nord Stream 2, adding that it is for Europeans to decide on it now. The Russian leader noted that the pipeline was ready for operation. Once Moscow’s partners in Europe come to a decision on it, then additional volumes of Russian gas will be pumped into the pipeline, Putin said. He also said he was confident that the launch of Nord Stream 2 would help bring down gas prices in Europe.
Concerns over Moscow’s alleged preparations for an invasion into Ukraine have been increasingly announced in the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.