The US administration has expanded restrictive measures against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in order to prevent its construction from being completed, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing a directive from the State Department
“The State Department has expanded the range of sanctions against the unfinished and Russian-backed gas pipeline, which is seen as a source of tension between Germany, Russia and the United States,” the newspaper said.
According to the State Department document, restrictive measures against the 2019 project will also apply to companies that will provide services or funding “to modernize or install equipment” on ships that may be involved in the project.
According to Dow Jones, the US State Department is calling on Russia, the main participant in the project, “to stop using its energy resources for compulsory purposes.”
The State Department also accused Moscow of using pipelines “to create national and regional dependence on Russian energy supplies in order to use this dependence to expand its political, economic and military influence, weaken the security of Europe and undermine the national security and external political interests of the United States.”
In recent months, the US authorities have been making active attempts to place the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project.
