US May Soon Sanction Russian Pipeline Project, Report Says
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said Congress will soon pass a bill placing sanctions on Nord Stream 2, the Russian gas pipeline to Germany, Reuters reported May 21. The bill would likely place significant restrictions on companies involved in the project. Perry said the bill will appear in the “not too distant future,” according to Reuters. “The United States Senate is going to pass a bill, the House is going to approve it, and it’s going to go to the President and he’s going to sign it, that is going to put sanctions on Nord Stream 2.”
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Hours after Perry’s comments, the Kremlin called any U.S.-imposed sanctions on the pipeline project “unacceptable” and said they would be an act of unfair competition, Reuters reported. It “is unacceptable not only for us, but also for many European Union countries,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call, according to Reuters.
Also on May 21, several experts advocated for stronger Russian sanctions during a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment hearing. Peter Doran, president and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis, urged Congress to sanction Nord Stream 2, saying it would “show the Kremlin we mean business.” In his written testimony, Doran said Congress and the Treasury Department should use “all financial and legal tools at their disposal to stop Nord Stream 2, including sanctions.” Laura Rosenberger, director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, said in her testimony that the U.S. “should continue to work with European partners to reduce dependence on Russian energy” and “oppose projects like Nord Stream 2.”