The Biden administration is expected to announce on Wednesday that the United States will be imposing new sanctions on Russia’s gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, in response to the country’s actions near the Ukrainian border.
The pipeline connects Russia and Germany, and has been scrutinized as benefitting Russia to an extent that could threaten the rest of Europe. President Joe Biden has previously blocked such sanctions, but multiple sources told CNN he will allow them to move forward in an effort to prevent war in Europe.
CNN reported that three U.S. officials confirmed the sanctions would be part of a series of penalties against 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.
On Wednesday, The Daily Wire reported that Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, responded to previous sanctions placed by the U.S. government by saying that they would only hurt 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.”
In January, Biden’s State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will “not move forward” if Russia invades Ukraine, as reported by The Daily Wire:
“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.
Germany also announced this week that construction on the pipeline would be halted. Biden official Daleep Singh, who serves as deputy national security adviser, praised Germany for the move.
“That’s an $11 billion investment in a prized gas pipeline, controlled by Russia, that will now go to waste. And it sacrifices what would have been a cash cow for Russia’s coffers,” Singh said on Tuesday. “But it’s not just about the money. This decision will relieve Russia’s geostrategic chokehold over Europe through its supply of gas, and it’s a major turning point in the world’s energy independence from Russia.”
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