The potential appointment of an envoy indicates a new strategic focus by the administration. Previously, the White House instructed European business experts at the National Security Council and the State Department to deal with the pipeline diplomacy; officials tell POLITICO that there is consensus that the thorny geopolitics around Nord Stream 2 now requires more dedicated attention – especially as the pipeline, which is already nearly 96 percent complete, is rushing to completion.
It is also a nod to Capitol Hill’s pressure campaign, in which senators from both parties pressured the Biden government to effectively paralyze the pipeline before it was too late. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) held a speedy confirmation of Biden’s top candidates for the State Department as part of the effort, and other senators publicly called on the government to speed up a sanctions package targeting entities involved. is at the construction of the pipeline, as required. according to the law.
According to two people familiar with the conversation, Cruz spoke at a recent private meeting Victoria Nuland, Biden’s choice to head the office of the Department of Political Affairs, about the possibility of appointing an envoy to handle the case . (The senator’s office declined to comment.)
Although Cruz’s efforts do have an impact, they do have an impact. Last month, the Republican in Texas released his hold on the nomination of CIA Director William Burns after Secretary of State Antony Blinken committed himself to shutting down the pipeline.
“The [State] The department reiterates its warning that any entity involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is in danger of US sanctions and should immediately abandon work on the pipeline, ‘Blinken said.
But one U.S. official familiar with the matter argued that the government was already dragging its feet. The Justice Department legally signed off last month with at least two sanctions packages targeting Nord Stream 2 AG, the company responsible for the planning, construction and subsequent operation of the pipeline, and its chief executive, Matthias Warnig, official said. But the packages have not yet been implemented, and it remains to be seen whether the government will include Nord Stream 2 AG and Warnig on the list of sanctioning entities they will have to provide to Congress next month.
However, some officials are wary that the appointment of an envoy could be counterproductive, and could further delay sanctions against Nord Stream 2 by telegraphing to Germany and Russia that the US is open to some reconciliation. But a Senate Democratic assistant told POLITICO that Hochstein’s appointment to the role would be “welcomed” by Democrats. “Amos would be an excellent person for this position,” the assistant said, noting that he “has a good reputation” and has worked on similar issues during the Obama administration.
Although it is not yet clear what the envoy’s exact mandate and parameters would be, the role would at least initially be focused on conducting delicate negotiations on how to block the pipeline without alienating a key US ally in Berlin. . It could then expand to deal more broadly with international energy issues, similar to what Hochstein did at the State Department under Obama, said two people involved in the discussions.
The diplomatic situation is extremely delicate, officials said. The government wants to curb Moscow’s energy consumption – Biden calls it “a bad deal for Europe”, but also wants to strengthen US relations with Germany, which is pushing Washington for the construction of the pipeline to continue unabated. “We are between a rock and a difficult place,” a senior administration official said last month.
The German government has several potential offers to bid farewell to the US, said people familiar with the talks, including trade deals and increased investment in green energy projects in Europe and Ukraine.
But U.S. lawmakers from both parties have argued that despite any German efforts to sweeten the agreement for Washington, the pipeline will place Russian infrastructure within NATO territory, thus threatening its member states. The legislators claim that some European countries will also be more dependent on Russian energy, while depriving Ukraine of billions of dollars in revenue by allowing Russia to bypass the country when it transfers gas to Europe.
‘[C]”The cessation of Russian malicious aggression is in the vital national security interests of all NATO, all EU members and our partners in Eastern Europe,” said Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (DN.J.) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) wrote in a letter to Blinken late last month. “We can not lose sight of this central principle, as we are diplomatically working on the pipeline.”