U.S. again warned entities participating in the completion of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Washington, March 19 - Neftegaz.RU. On March 18, the U.S. State Department called for an «immediate» halt to the construction of the disputed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

The project has come under fire from the U.S., Poland and Baltic countries which fear it will increase the European Union’s reliance on Russian gas.
The project is supported by Germany, Austria and several other EU countries.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said:

• As the President has said, Nord Stream 2 is a bad deal - for Germany, for Ukraine, and for our Central and Eastern European allies and partners
• The Department is tracking efforts to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and is evaluating information regarding entities that appear to be involved
• As multiple U.S. administrations have made clear, this pipeline is a Russian geopolitical project intended to divide Europe and weaken European energy security
• The sanctions legislation Congress passed in 2019 and expanded in 2020 has significant support from a bipartisan Congressional majority
• The Department reiterates its warning that any entity involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks U.S. sanctions and should immediately abandon work on the pipeline

In February 2021, Baker Hughes, AXA Group and 16 other companies have already abandoned work on the Nord Stream 2 project and will not be sanctioned by the U.S.

Germany, hoping to finish the pipeline, seeks to persuade Washington that it will:

• ensure that a regulatory mechanism will act to constrain any Russian market manipulation attempts
• provide support to build terminals that could receive American LNG
• agree that certain Russian actions could trigger a halt to gas imports via Nord Stream 2

Work on the pipeline had resumed in December 2020 after being suspended for nearly a year as a result of US sanctions.
Gazprom is racing to finish the $11.5 billion gas pipeline which analysts expect could happen by September 2021.