US House of Representatives Approves Sanctions against Nord Stream 2

The sanctions are being introduced as part of the Defense Budget Bill for 2021 and are yet to be approved by the Senate and signed by Trump. The House of Representatives of the US Congress voted in favor of an amendment providing for the introduction of sanctions against participants, who will help complete the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines. The meeting was broadcast on Monday, July 20, on the website of the lower house of the American parliament. The amendment is provided for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2021 fiscal year (starting in the US on October 1 - Ed.). It was approved unanimously. “Russia is trying to develop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to exert undue control on our European allies and their energy supplies. We must stop Putin’s hostile influence strategy,” Republican Steve Womack, a spokesman for Arkansas in the lower house of Congress, tweeted after the vote. The amendment, in particular, envisages introduction of restrictive measures against foreigners, significantly contributing to the sale, lease or provision of pipe-laying vessels intended for the construction of these pipelines. Before the new sanctions take effect, the NDAA must be approved by the US Senate and signed by President Donald Trump. Project participants will fall under the CAATSA law The US foreign minister warned on July 15 that the Nord Stream 2 project participants would fall under the 2017 CAATSA Act on Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions. “It is a clear warning to companies: get out now, or risk the consequences,” Pompeo said. The Secretary of State specified that additional sanctions will affect not only Nord Stream 2, but also part of the Turkish Stream project. In the past, the United States has tried to disrupt the construction of Nord Stream 2 with the help of sanctions. Because of this, the construction of a new gas pipeline had to be suspended. Meanwhile, Russia has criticized Washington’s threat, describing it as an example of political pressure and unfair competition.