Sanctions potential: why the US Senate spoke in favor of restrictions on Nord Stream 2

Republican Senator Ted Cruz has called on the upper house of Congress to vote "overwhelmingly" in favor of the sanctions restrictions against Nord Stream 2.

“Big win: When the Senate meets again, we can finally vote in support of sanctions against Putin's pipeline.

If senators value national security and are ready to confront (Vladimir -

) Putin, we must overwhelmingly approve the sanctions against Nord Stream 2, ”he wrote on his Twitter page.

🚨🚨Major victory: When the Senate reconvenes, we'll finally have a vote on sanctioning Putin's pipeline.

And if senators value national security & are willing to stand up to Putin, we should vote overwhelmingly to sanction NordStream2.

https://t.co/RsNW5kKQQ9

- Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 18, 2021

Thus, Cruz commented on an article by the American publication Politico, which reported that the Republican agreed to "stop obstructing the approval of candidates for 32 government positions" in exchange for holding a Senate vote on his bill on pipeline sanctions by January 14.

According to Politico, Cruise's strategy "paid off - at least for now."

“As part of the agreement he reached with (Democratic Majority Leader in the Upper House of Congress. 

) Sumer, the Senate will vote on his pipeline sanctions bill by January 14th.

Cruz said that he would refuse additional restrictions if (his.

) the bill is approved in the Senate and gets (for consideration.

) in the House of Representatives and on the president's table, "the article says.

The fact that Cruz achieved a Democratic majority in the Senate to vote on his bill in January, said the leader of the Democrats in the upper house Chuck Schumer.

As stated on the website of the US Congress, Cruise's initiative on sanctions against Nord Stream 2 was submitted to the Senate on December 18.

The document deals with the introduction of restrictions on organizations responsible for the planning, construction or operation of the pipeline, as well as the employees of these organizations.

In addition, the bill provides for a review by Congress of the decision to lift sanctions related to Nord Stream 2, in accordance with the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA. -

).

Earlier, Cruise complained that the Biden administration allegedly "protects" the Russian-European energy project.

Nord Stream 2 allows Putin to supply gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine, exposing our Ukrainian allies - and the whole of Europe - to Russian aggression, "the American politician wrote on Twitter on December 14.

Nord Stream 2 allows Putin to circumvent Ukraine to deliver gas to Europe, exposing our Ukrainian allies - and the rest of Europe - to Russian aggression.

Ukraine's President couldn't be clearer.

The Biden admin is nevertheless protecting Putin's pipeline.

https://t.co/e5PTFMSyZW

- Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 14, 2021

"Manifestation of Obsession"

It is worth noting that Cruise's bill is not the first initiative in the US Congress designed to interfere with the implementation and launch of Nord Stream 2.

So, in November, a group of Republicans called for the cancellation of the "dangerous decisions" of the US administration related to the refusal to impose, in their opinion, critically important sanctions against the gas pipeline. It defies explanation, they said, as to why the White House has yet to rethink its decision to "give the green light to the pipeline."

US lawmakers proposed to impose new restrictions on the project in September as well.

In their opinion, the head of the White House, Joe Biden, should impose restrictions on "any organization" that is responsible for the planning, construction or operation of Nord Stream 2 or a successor organization, as well as "any other corporate official or major shareholder with a controlling stake in the organization. "

In addition, the congressmen proposed to ban the issuance of American visas and entry into the United States to persons associated with the implementation of the project, as well as to block their property and companies in the United States.

• Construction of Nord Stream 2

• © Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt

Let us remind you that the United States has consistently opposed the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project.

Based on the so-called European Energy Security Protection Act (PEESA), adopted back in 2019, Washington has repeatedly imposed sanctions against individuals and legal entities involved in the construction of the gas pipeline.

So, on November 23, within the framework of PEESA, the US Treasury made a decision on the next restrictions on the Transadria company and the Marlin vessel for their involvement in Nord Stream 2.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the restrictions imposed by Washington look "as a manifestation of a real obsession." According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, the project is "exclusively commercial in nature" and is extremely important "for stable energy supply and maintaining the competitiveness of Germany and the European Union as a whole." She also noted that unilateral restrictions against Russia are illegitimate and harm, among other things, the US allies - Germany and the EU. Zakharova stressed that the interests of their own colleagues in Washington, "to put it mildly, in principle, do not pay attention and are little concerned about them."

As the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said in an interview with the American magazine Newsweek, the sanctions and other threats against the participants in the implementation of Nord Stream 2 are a manifestation of unfair competition.

Antonov also noted that the choice of energy supply sources should remain with European consumers, including Germany.

"Restriction regime"

According to experts, the Ted Cruise bill, the initiatives of other congressmen, as well as the recent actions of the White House against Nord Stream 2, indicate that Washington continues to view sanctions as an effective instrument of pressure.

“The sanctions agenda, in the opinion of many congressmen and representatives of the White House, should not go anywhere.

Due to various kinds of initiatives, it is possible for the president to cancel and restrain the most radical proposals, while leaving space for the introduction of any more restrictive measures, "political analyst Alexander Asafov explained in an interview with RT.

In addition, he does not exclude that Cruise's bill on sanctions against Nord Stream 2 may pass the Senate, the House of Representatives and get Biden to sign.

“There is such an opportunity, and the American establishment wants to signal this to Russia in the hope that it will change its foreign policy in a direction more beneficial to the United States.

However, whether Biden will sign this document or not is a big question, it will depend on the current domestic political situation and foreign policy situation, ”Asafov said.

According to him, the sanctions against Nord Stream 2, planned or in force, are evidence of the use of unfair competition methods by Washington.

“Moreover, the necessity of their introduction is explained mainly by political reasons.

In this case, all the rhetoric regarding Nord Stream 2 is aimed at ensuring the dominance of American suppliers in the European hydrocarbon and energy markets, which have rather ambitious plans to export LNG to Europe, which is more expensive than Russian gas, "Asafov said.

In turn, the director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, Yuri Rogulyov, draws attention to the fact that by proposing new sanctions against Nord Stream 2, Cruise wants to strike a blow not only on the energy project, but also on Biden's image.

“The senator actually opposes the promise of the head of the White House not to apply restrictions to the pipeline operator, Nord Stream 2 AG.

Cruz itself is from the south, this is a gas-producing region for which the commissioning of Nord Stream 2 is extremely unprofitable, "the expert said in an interview with RT.

• Senator Ted Cruz

• AP

• © Chip Somodevilla

However, according to Rogulyov, "Washington's sanctions potential is practically exhausted."

“The restriction regime and economic restrictions on the American side are not unlimited.

As the US sanctions expand, they begin to hurt the interests of the American economy, so Washington will not be able to stop Nord Stream 2, concluded Rogulyov.