In the United States announced plans to impose new sanctions against the “Nord stream – 2”. The operator of the gas pipeline called it discrimination

US ready to impose new sanctions against companies and individuals associated with the construction of the pipeline “Nord stream – 2”, reported the German newspaper Handelsblatt on may 26, the United States Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell.

According to him, the corresponding draft law “can be adopted quickly, despite the election campaign” in the United States.

The diplomat said that last week met with senators and congressmen in the United States. He came to the conclusion that the restrictive measures “find approval among all parties.”

Grenell did not specify in what may be new sanctions. The publication suggests that we can talk about measures against companies that support the pipeline, or firms that will accept the incoming gas from Russia.

Berlin expressed concern about the statements of Grenelle. In the Ministry of economy and energy of Germany said that as the world is struggling with the pandemic coronavirus, “no time to unleash a spiral of escalation and threaten further extraterritorial, contrary to international law, sanctions.”

Operator “Nord stream – 2”, 2 Nord Stream AG, also criticized the statement of an American diplomat. A press-Secretary Nord Stream AG 2 Jens Mueller told TASSthat the threat of sanctions is unlawful discrimination of European companies. Nord Stream 2 and the companies supporting the project, still believe that the prompt delivery of the pipeline meets the interests of European energy security of European consumers, the economic competitiveness of the EU and the commitments for climate protection, he said.

“Nord stream – 2” gas pipeline that will link Russia to Germany under the Baltic sea. The length of the trail is more than 1,200 km, the new pipeline’s capacity will be 55 billion m3 of gas per year. The cost of the project is €9.5 billion, half of it financed by the Russian “Gazprom” and five European companies: Anglo-Dutch Shell, German Wintershall and Uniper, Engie French and Austrian OMV.

The authorities of Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are considered “Nord stream – 2” the threat to Europe’s energy security.

In 2018, Germany, Finland and Sweden were allowed to lay the pipeline through its territory, Denmark gave permission only in 2019. It was expected that the construction of the pipeline will be completed by the end of 2019, at the launch of “Nord stream – 2” was moved to the end of 2020.

In December 2019, the President of the United States Donald trump signed the defense budget for 2020, which envisages the introduction of sanctions against the Russian gas pipeline “Turkish stream” and “Nord stream – 2”. Immediately after that, the Swiss company Allseas has suspended work on the construction of “Nord stream – 2” and withdrew from the Baltic sea and its pipe-laying ships. Russian energy Minister Alexander Novak said that for the completion of the gas pipeline Russia could use the Russian pipe-laying vessel “Akademik Chersky”. It was transferred from the far Eastern port of Nakhodka in the Baltic sea. Now the pipe is in German territorial waters in the port of Mukran.

At the time of suspension of work by company Allseas had put on the bottom of the Baltic sea, 160 km of pipes, the publication reported Neftegaz.Ru.