"Nord Stream - 2": The US Congress is against Sanctioning the FRG

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The draft US defense budget for 2021 contains initiatives prohibiting imposing sanctions on Nord Stream-2 against European states and the EU as a whole. Against the backdrop of disputes over the fate of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, to complete which are economically interested German companies including, the US Congress came up with a legislative initiative suggesting negotiations with European partners before a possible expansion of sanctions against this project. The relevant provision is contained in a package of bills approved by Republicans and Democrats in both houses of the US Congress on Thursday, December 3, during the discussion of the US defense budget for 2021. Among other things, the aforementioned package of bills excluded sanctions adopting against the governments of Germany and other EU member states, the European Union as a whole, as well as Switzerland, Norway and the UK because of Nord Stream 2. Earlier it was reported that both the House of Representatives and the Senate supported the idea of expanding sanctions against companies involved in the pipeline construction. However, in previous versions of the bills, which have now been combined into a single package related to the adoption of the US defense budget for 2021, there was no question that Washington should consult with its European partners before adopting sanctions. In the same way, the documents did not mention the ban on sanctions imposing against European states. Trump threatens to veto U.S. defense budget To allow the US defense budget for 2021 package of bills enter into force, it must be signed by President Donald Trump. However, he has twice threatened to veto this document. In the summer of 2020, the commander-in-chief of the US Armed Forces announced his readiness to block the defense budget in view of a dispute over the renaming of American military bases. Later, on December 1, Trump repeated the threat, linking it this time with the requirement to include provisions on the responsibility of social networks for user publications in the bill. Passing the defense budget against the president's veto requires the support of two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.