WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2022) The US Senate will vote on Thursday to decide whether to adopt Republican Senator Ted Cruz's bill that would impose sanctions on the� Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Politico reported.
The report said on Wednesday that the US State Department sent a document to lawmakers lobbying against support for the bill while the United States and European partners engage in early security talks with Russia to address issues in Eastern Europe.
The document states that the Republican bill would only serve to undermine unity and possibly lead to a split among the United States and its European allies, especially with the new German government that is a major stakeholder in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The State Department also argues that imposing sanctions now on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would also hurt ongoing security talks with Russia because it would take away a tool of leverage from the negotiating table.
Moreover, the document warns that sanctions on Nord Stream 2 could lead to a spoke in Russian energy prices that may impact European partners during the winter.
Cruz has long been trying to push through a bill that would force the US government to re-impose economic sanctions on the company building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In fall 2021, Cruz blocked the confirmation of nearly 60 ambassadors in a bid to secure a vote on his bill to sanction the pipeline. He lifted his block after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged that a vote on Cruz's bill would take place by January 14.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, completed in September, will deliver gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The process of certifying Nord Stream 2 AG as the pipeline's independent operator is currently underway to ensure the project complies with the conditions of the February 12, 2019 EU Gas Directive. German regulators are expected to decide on the certification in the second half of 2022.
