The United States is updating public guidance to add the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the second line of the Turk Stream 2 sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a press release on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) The United States is updating public guidance to add the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the second line of the Turk Stream 2 sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a press release on Wednesday.
"Today, the Department of State is updating the public guidance for CAATSA authorities to include Nord Stream 2 and the second line of Turk Stream 2," Pompeo said. "This action puts investments or other activities that are related to these Russian energy export pipelines at risk of US sanctions. It's a clear warning to companies aiding and abetting Russia's malign influence projects will not be tolerated. Get out now or risk the consequences."
In early June, US senators introduced a bipartisan bill to tighten sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and potentially hit numerous European companies, banks and governmental organizations that work with the project. According to media reports, Germany is putting together a set of countermeasures to mobilize a coordinated EU-wide response.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier this month that proposed US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia were law-defying and would be dealt with.
On December 20, US President Donald Trump signed the 2020 defense budget, which included sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project, forcing Allseas, a Swiss company responsible for laying down the pipes, to withdraw from the project with just 100 miles left to lay.
The Nord Stream 2 project aims at laying a 745-mile-long twin pipeline that will carry up to 55 billion cubic meters (1.94 trillion cubic feet) of gas per year from Russia to Germany. The pipeline passes through the territorial waters or exclusive economic zones of Russia, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden.
