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Washington (AP) - The US government has asked companies to withdraw from the construction of the German-Russian Baltic Sea gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 and threatened with new sanctions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday: "The Department reiterates its warning that any company involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks US sanctions and should immediately cease work on the pipeline."
Follow the efforts to complete the project and evaluate information about companies "that appear to be involved".
Nord Stream 2 was "a bad deal - for Germany, for Ukraine and for our Central and Eastern European partners," said Blinken's message.
"As several US governments have made clear, this pipeline is a Russian geopolitical project that is intended to divide Europe and weaken European energy security."
Blinken referred to the sanctions laws against Nord Stream 2 passed by the US Congress with bipartisan majorities. The government of the Democratic US President Joe Biden will implement these laws, the minister stressed.
So far, the US has only imposed sanctions on the Russian company KVT-RUS, which operates the Fortuna laying ship, because of Nord Stream 2 - the government of the Republican US President Donald Trump announced these punitive measures shortly before the end of her term in January.
In a report published last month by the US State Department under Blinken, contrary to expectations, no other companies were punished or threatened with punitive measures.
Concern has risen from Republican ranks in Congress that the Biden administration is not taking action against the completion of the pipeline.
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The US is up against the project because they fear that their partners in Europe are too dependent on Russia.
US critics argue that the US wants to sell its own gas in Europe.
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