The United States is imposing further sanctions against Russia over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea. The US State Department announced on Friday that a new report to Congress lists two Russians and a Russian ship involved in the construction of the pipeline from Russia to Germany are involved.
While sanctions are being imposed on the Russians, the ship is classified as "blocked possession".
"With today's move, the government has now imposed sanctions on seven people and identified 16 of their ships as blocked property," said Foreign Minister Antony Blinken.
This makes it clear that the American government is still against the pipeline.
"Extended by up to ten years"
The United States and Germany settled their dispute over Nord Stream 2 just a month ago.
In a joint declaration, Washington and Berlin stated that the gas transit through Ukraine should be extended "by up to ten years".
The controversial pipeline, which should be completed within the next few weeks, is intended to transport gas from Russia directly to Germany in the future.
Critics of the project such as the American government fear that Europe will become more dependent on Russian gas as well as economic damage to Ukraine and other traditional gas transit countries.
In the dispute over the pipeline, the American government waived sanctions against the operating company Nord Stream 2 AG and its German managing director in May, but in return demanded specific commitments from the federal government to protect the transit country Ukraine.
The deal was finally recorded in a joint statement dated July 21st.
US Secretary of State Blinken said on Friday that the United States would continue to work with Germany and other allies to reduce the "risks" posed by the pipeline to Ukraine and Eastern European EU and NATO countries. Another aim is to push back “harmful Russian activities, including in the energy sector”.