Axios
Scoop: Biden admin call on Putin pipeline provokes GOP anger
An information session between the State Department and the congressional staff on Vladimir Putin’s gas pipeline from Russia and Germany became tense this week, while Biden officials diverted questions about why they did not move faster and more aggressively with sanctions to stop its completion. negotiates with the Germans on a possible side agreement to complete the pipeline. Keep up to date with the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Why it matters: As we reported earlier this week, some allies are concerned that Biden is shaky about Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the battle is a key test of whether the new president’s harsh rhetoric against Russia is in line with action. Russian opponents, including top officials in the Ukrainian and Polish governments, are worried that Biden will not disregard Angela Merkel and will not inflict serious costs on the Germans. And members of Congress – both Republicans and Democrats – were overwhelmed by a report recently sent to the Congress by Biden’s department, which targeted only one Russian ship for sanctions. The Trump administration has already approved the ship, the Fortuna. Behind the scenes: the first call between senior State Department officials and the Republican and Democratic National House and Senate security personnel took place on Tuesday. The Tuesday call was classified and took place from a safe room. A source on the call and two other sources informed about the conversation said the interrogation focused on why the Biden government did not target a larger number of ships for sanctions, as the assistants argued that the detection of the sea clearly a number of additional ships working on the pipeline. The call lasts about half an hour until the line suddenly falls dead from the end of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While some Republicans initially thought they were hooked during the call, the State Department said it was a technical issue. Then the Foreign Ministry officials regrouped for a second briefing on Thursday at 2pm, this time not classified. According to three sources who participated, senior staff were from the offices of the House and Senate. Increasing hostility comes from Republican officials who were not happy with the answers. It seems that Biden’s officials are politely trying to avoid conflict. At one point, a Senate Republican associate asked Biden officials why they had not approved the Nord Stream 2 AG – the company responsible for building the pipeline. officials replied that they were not going to discuss specific entities and that they were still investigating the facts and compiling the evidence. “We are talking about the company that owns Nord Stream 2,” the Republican official said sharply, according to the three. sources about the call. “I’m currently on their website and they identify themselves as the company responsible for the planning, construction and operation of the pipeline.” “You have determined that sanctioning activities have taken place in relation to the pipeline,” the official continued. . “What kind of information will you need to get to confirm that the company running the operation you just approved is sanctioned?” ‘State Department officials disputed that the general tone of the call was hostile, claiming they later heard from congressional staff describing the briefing as useful. They claim it can take a long time to determine which entities are sanctioned, and reiterated that the Biden government plans to use all available tools to stop the completion of the pipeline. Molly Montgomery, the deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs, denied during the call that the US was negotiating with Germany on a possible agreement to continue the pipeline. that there is an exchange of words between the US government and Germany regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to take Russian gas to Europe. ‘The report did not provide any further details. Department officials argued that the word “exchange” should not be considered a negotiation and that Biden’s government, during normal diplomatic talks, expressed its concern about the pipeline among the Germans. A senior Senate aide during the call also defended Biden’s government against the charges that they are moving slowly and softly, saying there is dual opposition to the pipeline, but the government must ‘make sure any sanctions are met.’ ‘The time is short and they’re under the gun,’ said the assistant, ‘but I think they’re trying to avoid the clown car approach of the last government, which did things like the Russian company Rusal, but had to walk it back after they collapsed the world market for aluminum. ” Measuring twice to cut once is always a good policy, ” the assistant added, ‘especially if there is a sense of urgency to get it right. ‘Yes, but: the Trump administration only removed Rusal from its sanctions list after a blacklisted oligarch and Putin friend, Oleg Deripaska, made a commitment to sell his majority stake in the company. to update the report, they have already delivered to Congress with new bodies to be approved, but State Department officials have not committed to it. One of the Biden officials told the congressional staff that if they have more information about entities involved, they should say what it is. Earlier this month, two members of the Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to Foreign Minister Antony Blinken with the names of these alleged vessels. In the newly approved defense bill, Congress instructed the government to punish a wide range of activities involved in the pipeline. big picture: pipeline construction was halted during the Trump administration after Congress ordered sanctions in a 2019 bill and top Trump officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, issued aggressive threats. But the Russians resumed construction on Nord Stream 2 after Biden entered service. The bottom line: the pipeline is more than 90% complete, and can be completed by the summer without much intervention to stop it. More from Axios: Join get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Sign up for free