Trump approved sanctions against Nord Stream 2: gas pipeline construction suspended

U.S. President Donald Trump Signs National Defense Budget Act 2020 Among other things, it provides for sanctions against companies building the Russian Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, as well as increasing military assistance to Ukraine and lifting restrictions on the construction of the Trump Wall on the border with Mexico. Writes about this "Present Tense".

Фото: Depositphotos

The defense budget includes $ 300 million worth of military assistance to Ukraine. We are talking about, among other things, paying for deliveries of weapons to the country, providing anti-ship missile systems, coast guard systems, as well as coastal and airborne radar stations, writes Hromadske.Ua.

The document separately prohibits the US government from recognizing Crimea as part of the territory of Russia.

Also, a separate clause provides for a ban on the transfer of Turkish American F-35 fighters. It was introduced due to the fact that Turkey bought the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system from Russia.

This law secured $ 738 billion in spending for the US defense sector in 2020.

The law also spells out the lifting of restrictions on the construction of border barriers - we are talking about the so-called Trump wall on the border with Mexico, which should prevent the entry of illegal immigrants into the United States.

On the subject: Survey: less than half of US residents believe Trump should be removed from power

Among the sanctions against Nord Stream 2 are the refusal of American visas and the blocking of all American assets of foreign citizens and companies related to the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream projects. American representatives have repeatedly called the pipeline, through which Russian natural gas will be exported to Germany, a threat to European energy security. The bill calls it a “coercive tool.”

The key contractor for the construction is Allseas, a Swiss-Dutch company: it owns the world's largest pipe-laying vessel, the Pioneering Spirit, laying pipes along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

On December 18, Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson sent a letter to Allseas warning of the consequences of continuing work on the Nord Stream 2 project. Possible consequences include blocking of the company's property in the United States, a ban on any transactions related to American financial institutions, as well as a ban on visits to the United States by the company's management.

Allseas Representatives stated on the suspension of work “pending receipt of legal, technical and environmental clarifications from the appropriate US authority.”

The sanctions drew sharp criticism from Germany. German Foreign Minister Heiko Mas said that “the sanctions constitute an interference in autonomous decisions taken in Europe.”

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova also reacted on the decision on sanctions against Nord Stream 2. She wrote: “The American ideology of living on borrowed time has not withstood global competition, as the US Treasury Department regularly confirms by issuing a new “economic arrest warrant.”

Officially, sanctions should take effect in the coming weeks. Gazprom said it would take about five weeks to complete work on the last underwater section of the pipeline.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which should run from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, is being built by Gazprom. Companies from Germany and Austria are also involved in its construction. The authorities in these countries claim that this is a purely economic project.

Commissioning of the pipeline is scheduled for 2019. It should supply Germany with 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year, or more than a quarter of Gazprom’s export volume. The second branch of the pipeline essentially duplicates the already existing one - Nord Stream, whose capacity is also 55 billion cubic meters per year.

On the subject: Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached: what's next

In October Denmark approved the construction of the gas pipeline en route southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. The lack of permission on her part to lay a pipe in her territorial waters in recent months has greatly inhibited the project.

President Donald Trump also opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2, who believed that Germany was “too dependent” on oil and gas supplies from Russia and was “enriching” it, while being a member of NATO. Experts also noted that the main goal of Nord Stream 2 is political, not commercial: the desire to abandon the transit of gas to Europe through Ukraine.

“If Nord Stream 2 is built, the Ukrainian route may lose pumping volumes by half,” Vladimir Omelchenko, director of energy programs at the Razumkov Center, previously said.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Germany calls on US not to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2

Trump says he wants to 'severalfold' increase trade with Russia

The US Senate supported the document recognizing Russia as a "sponsor of terrorism"

What the declassified KGB archives say about Solzhenitsyn

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.