The State Department called on to stop the implementation of Nord Stream 2.

According to Christopher Robinson, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, the sanctions restrictions against the project are "effective."

“We do not want to impose sanctions, but we are using these powers and tools to stop the project,” a State Department spokesman said during an Atlantic Council internet conference *.

He added that Nord Stream 2 allegedly "poses a threat" to Europe's energy and national security, as well as transatlantic security in general.

"(Pipeline -

RT

) will strengthen Russia's dominant position in the European gas market and become a political instrument through which it can exert pressure, control and advance its geopolitical agenda," Robinson said.

From his point of view, Nord Stream 2 is "not a commercial project, but Russia's main project to exert a harmful influence."

“If we want to achieve greater stability in Russian-American relations and strengthen them, then for the future of these relations it is necessary to counter and put an end to the pernicious influence of Russia.

Therefore, we should stop the construction of the "Nord Stream - 2" - said a spokesman for the State Department.

The head of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, in an interview with RT, called Robinson's statement, like the US position on this issue, "ugly."

“Firstly, this area is, in principle, not subject to sanctions, because these are issues of economic cooperation.

Moreover (from the position of the United States) economic cooperation between third countries, without the participation of the United States and not affecting the interests of the States.

Secondly, it is clear that this is just pushing their interests into a situation where these interests are not currently represented, through an attempt to block Russian natural gas and supply its liquefied gas to the same markets, ”Kosachev noted, adding that“ this position won't work. "

The situation around the project

Recall that last week the US Senate approved by a majority vote the country's defense budget (National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA) for the 2021 fiscal year (started on October 1).

The document envisages toughening of restrictive measures against Nord Stream 2.

The bill includes a provision supplementing a subsection of the US Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act (PEESA), which is about "clarifying and expanding" the sanctions against Nord Stream 2.

The draft defense budget provides for restrictions against companies providing insurance and underwriting (underwriting - guarantees of receiving payments in case of financial losses) services within the framework of the gas pipeline construction.

  • Capitol

  • Reuters

  • © Tom Brenner

Earlier, the Kremlin called the plans of the American side to toughen sanctions "a manifestation of unfair competition."

This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov.

According to him, such steps "basically contradict the principles of international trade and, moreover, international law."

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, said, in turn, that Washington's attempts to interfere with the Russian side in the implementation of Nord Stream 2 are a "containment policy."

“It is being implemented because in many areas the United States cannot compete on the basis of common business rules.

They can no longer withstand this rivalry on the grounds that are fixed, spelled out and are equal.

To do this, they need to create artificial constraints for a number of states, ”the diplomat said.

She also confirmed that plans for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 project, which has a "clear international legal basis", will not be violated.

"It is legitimate, does not violate any obligations and has been agreed with many international participants," Zakharova stressed.

As a reminder, work on laying the Nord Stream 2 resumed in early December.

Pipelayer Fortuna will lay a 2.6-kilometer section of the pipeline in the German Exclusive Economic Zone in waters less than 30 m (100 ft) deep.

All construction work is being carried out in full accordance with the permits received, ”Interfax quotes a statement from the Nord Stream 2 AG project operator.

On the eve, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during a poll of the German government, noted that the federal republic is creating the structural framework conditions for the completion of the Nord Stream 2 project, which is important from the point of view of energy policy and regional significance.

  • Angela Merkel

  • Reuters

  • © Bernd von Jutrczenka

“As for the Nord Stream, the position of the German government remains absolutely unchanged, as it was in recent years,” the politician said.

Earlier, in October, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, in an interview with RND, expressed confidence that Nord Stream 2 would be completed.

"Softening policy"

From the point of view of experts interviewed by RT, Russia "has never given any reason to believe that its economic relations with Western countries could become hostages of politics."

"Moscow has always emphasized that it would like to continue mutually beneficial cooperation with foreign colleagues and is certainly not going to use gas supplies in order to exert pressure," Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research, said in an interview with RT.

In his opinion, linking the potential improvement of Russian-American relations with the halt of the Nord Stream 2 project, the US State Department spokesman is simply “cunning”.

“This is an unrealistic scenario: we will put pressure on you, you will succumb, then our relations will improve.

While the United States is trying to put pressure on Russia, their relationship cannot be called good, ”says Bruter.

In the opinion of HSE professor Dmitry Yevstafiev, Washington, while discussing the prospects for improving relations with Russia, in fact "never aspired to this."

"All attempts by Moscow to conduct at least a minimal dialogue with the United States have been repeatedly rejected by the current administration," the analyst stated in a conversation with RT.

He also called Christopher Robinson's assertion that Nord Stream 2 could become a "political instrument" unreasonable.

“This project is much more commercially oriented than the project for the supply of shale hydrocarbons and oil from the United States,” the expert emphasized.

In addition, in his opinion, the outgoing White House administration is unlikely to be able to fundamentally influence the situation around Nord Stream 2, since the inauguration of Joe Biden is nearing.

"The current statements should be seen rather as attempts to leave Biden the most difficult legacy," Yevstafiev believes.

At the same time, from his point of view, the US policy towards Nord Stream 2 may undergo some changes in connection with the impending change of power.

  • Overwater welding of the butt joint

  • © Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt

“The Biden administration is much more focused on improving relations with Europe than the Trump administration and will be forced to make some concessions, primarily to Germany.

It is possible that the softening of the policy towards Nord Stream 2 will become one of the steps towards meeting the European colleagues, ”he said.

However, analysts agree that the US sanctions pressure on Nord Stream 2 will continue to some extent.

“This is a very unpleasant project for the Americans, which worsens the already rather difficult situation in the American oil shale industry,” Yevstafiev explained.

At the same time, Vladimir Bruter is confident that Nord Stream 2 will still be implemented.

“Since Biden, after coming to power, is unlikely to immediately have a desire to quarrel with his European colleagues and, in particular, with Germany, the parties involved in the construction of the pipeline will have time to calmly complete it,” the analyst concluded.

* "Atlantic Council" (Atlantic Council of the United States) - an organization whose activities are recognized as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation by the decision of the General Prosecutor's Office of 25.07.2019

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