Biden’s government told Congress on Friday that it would help a Russian ship and company complete a Russian natural gas pipeline, but Republican lawmakers said the move was not too much needed to complete the Moscow project. to stop.
In a report to Congress, the State Department identified the Russian ship Fortuna and its company, KVT-RUS, as being designated for sanctions under a law passed in January to announce the completion of the Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline as Nord. Stream 2.
Both entities have already been approved by the former Trump administration, and lawmakers have sent a long list of companies to the government that they believe are doing work or services that should cause U.S. sanctions.
None of the companies were mentioned in the State Department’s report to Congress, which arrived three days after a deadline on Tuesday.
The State Department’s report will be welcomed in Germany, which has campaigned against the sanctions and defended the pipeline as a valuable commercial project that will provide a stable, inexpensive energy supply.
But the report is likely to disappoint governments in Central and Eastern Europe, which strongly oppose the project, and believe it could give Russia economic leverage over Europe and make them more vulnerable to pressure from Moscow. Nord Stream 2 will deprive Ukraine of lucrative gas transit fees that provide crucial revenue for the government.
“Whoever prevents these sanctions from being fully imposed now is doing Vladimir Putin a favor. From the perspective of Ukraine, we simply cannot imagine that this is what President Biden wants, ”said Vadym Glamazdin, a senior official of Ukrainian state energy giant Naftogaz.
The report came when President Joe Biden delivered a keynote address at the Munich Security Conference in which he promised to show determination against Russia and strengthen the trans-Atlantic alliance.
A bipartisan majority in Congress passed legislation in January overriding former President Donald Trump’s veto, imposing additional sanctions on any businesses that allow the completion of the Nord Stream 2 project, including businesses that secure the pipeline or certify.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who arranges Republican in the House Foreign Relations Committee, has accused the government of failing to comply with the will of Congress.
“Simply put, the indications of today’s sanctions are completely inadequate,” McCaul said in a statement, adding that “the intent of the congress is clear and cannot be ignored.”
“The sanction of only the Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna and its owner, KVT-RUS – both of which have already been approved by separate authorities by the previous government – does not meet the intention,” McCaul said.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the State Department’s report disturbing and misleading.
‘We know that there is currently a pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Maritime tracking information makes it clear that ships not covered in today’s report are currently active in supporting Nord Stream 2 construction, ”said Risch.
“The decision of the administration to ignore these activities requires an immediate explanation.”
Earlier Friday, before the report was submitted to Congress, State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated that the government was opposed to the pipeline and consulted with its European allies on the issue.
‘We’re been clear for some time that Nord Stream 2 is a bad deal and that companies risk sanctions if they are involved. But as we said, we are not looking at potential sanctions. “We will continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure that Europe has a reliable diversified energy supply network that does not undermine our collective security,” Price said.
The Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on why it chose not to designate German or other Western companies involved in the project, according to opponents.
