U.S. Reimposes Sanctions On Nord Stream 2 Companies In Bid To Squeeze Russia

The United States Wednesday issued fresh sanctions on several Russia-based companies over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, including new measures against the operator of the project, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We’re going to continue to work and ensure that Russia is never able to weaponize its energy resources and its energy positioning for political gain again," State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

According to him, Washington was re-imposing sanctions on a number of entities involved in the construction of the pipeline that were already designated, as well as several new owners of vessels already under sanctions.

"And the reason is that we continue to maintain our longstanding opposition to Nord Stream 2 as a Russian geopolitical project and an effort to revive it," Patel explained.

Among those targeted this time are Russia-based marine services and water transport entities, the state-owned maritime rescue service and over a dozen vessels, as well as Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the project, the State Department said in a fact-sheet.

Nord Stream 2, built under the Baltic Sea by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom.  While the pipeline never came online, the European security situation has changed dramatically since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Before and during the war, Gazprom found excuses to cut gas supplies via Nord Stream 1. By the time Nord Stream 1 and 2 were rocked by explosions in September 2022, neither were transiting gas.