US House of Representatives supports sanctions against Nord Stream 2 pipleline
On Tuesday, December 11, the House of Representatives of the United States Congress approved the resolution condemning the construction of Nord Stream 2, the main gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, and supported the imposition of sanctions to counteract this project.
Laying the pipeline would be "a dramatic step backward in the issue of European energy security and interests of the United States,” the document noted. “Russia’s geopolitical interest in Nord Stream 2 is not about increasing European security, but rather about the attempt to drive a wedge between the countries in Europe and to seriously diminish the role of the Ukrainian existing gas transport system.”
Members of the House of Representatives supported the adoption of the restrictive measures within the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" signed by US President Donald Trump in 2017. These sanctions would be directed against European companies participating in the project. Despite the resolution being non-binding, it shows the growing opposition of American legislators to the Russian gas pipeline’s implementation in Europe.
It has been reported that the US Congress is considering about 10 draft bills against the energy sector of Russia.