US President Joe Biden signed a decree allowing sanctions on Russian pipelines for energy exports.
This was reported on the White House website.
As noted by TASS, Biden also informed the leaders of the Congress about this decision in a corresponding letter.
“I have issued a decree on the adoption of additional measures on certain Russian pipelines intended for the export of energy resources, in connection with the state of emergency in the country declared in the decree 14024 of April 15, 2021 due to an extraordinary and extreme threat to national security, foreign policy and economy The United States, created by certain harmful external activities of the government of the Russian Federation, ”Biden said.
The document, in particular, states that the property of persons associated with certain energy projects in Russia located in the United States should be blocked.
The corresponding decision can be made by the Secretary of State in agreement with the Minister of Finance.
The initiative, according to Biden, is supposedly designed to ensure the energy security of Europe.
In addition, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Washington will impose sanctions against two individuals and two ships from Russia in connection with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Blinken said the State Department presented to Congress a report under the 2019 European Energy Security Protection Act (PEESA), which listed one ship and two Russian citizens.
“The individuals identified in the report will be sanctioned in accordance with the PEESA.
In addition, the vessel indicated in the report, as well as another Russian vessel participating in the project, will be identified as the blocked property of one of the listed persons, ”TASS quoted him as saying.
The first deputy head of the international committee of the Federation Council, Vladimir Dzhabarov, in an interview with RT, expressed the opinion that Joe Biden, by signing this decree, was trying to divert the attention of the world community from the problems that the Americans themselves had in Afghanistan.
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“Russia is how it worked, designed its power facilities, so it will do it.
These American sanctions will not work on us.
This is a standard American trick that has long ceased to work with Russia the way they hoped it would.
We calmly bypass these sanctions and continue our progressive development, ”he stressed.
The fact that the United States has declared war on Nord Stream 2 is no longer news, as are their attempts to "bite" the Russian energy project, State Duma deputy Ruslan Balbek recalled in a conversation with RT.
“Unfortunately, we cannot prevent the sanctions hysteria, common sense has long left the heads of American politicians when it comes to Russia.
But, as they say, despite all the machinations of Washington, Nord Stream 2 is and will be completed.
We will not retreat from profitable energy projects just because the American presidents so want, ”he said.
Balbeck drew attention to the fact that the United States is conducting unfair competition and intimidating the European Union, but Russian guarantees in the field of energy remain more reliable than American promises.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a press conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the construction of Nord Stream 2 is nearing completion.
“15 km is left by sea, that's all,” the Russian leader noted.
As the president stressed, statements that Nord Stream 2 is a political project are "delusional or an attempt to mislead someone."
“It is 2 thousand km shorter than the Ukrainian transit, and it is a modern, environmentally friendly system.
These are not empty words, ”Putin said.
Earlier, the Russian state corporation Gazprom confirmed that they expect the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline by the end of 2021.
This year, 5.6 billion cubic meters can be supplied via it.
meters of gas, the company said.
On August 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting with the faculty and students of the V.I.
Immanuel Kant also said that the construction of the pipeline is almost complete.
At the end of July, the project operator Nord Stream 2 AG noted that the pipeline was 99% complete, and the pipe-laying barge Fortuna continued to work on the final section of the project.
Let us remind you that Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline under construction that runs from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
The pipeline passes through the exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of five countries - Germany, Denmark, Russia, Finland and Sweden.
Several European countries are opposed to its construction, claiming that the gas pipeline allegedly threatens the energy security of Europe, as well as the United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas to the EU.
Russia has repeatedly stated that Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively commercial project in which Europe is primarily interested.
Washington has repeatedly imposed sanctions on the ships and companies involved in the construction, however, the Russian side noted that the project would be completed regardless of restrictions.