Republican Senators Propose More Nord Stream 2 Sanctions in 2022 NDAA
Several Republican senators last week introduced an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would require mandatory sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, the company behind the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. The amendment, introduced by Jim Risch of Idaho, Rob Portman of Ohio, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Ted Cruz of Texas, would also require sanctions against “any entity responsible for planning, construction, or operation” of the pipeline, or their successor entity, as well as “any other corporate officer of or principal shareholder with a controlling interest” in those entities.
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Republican lawmakers have previously criticized the Biden administration for not imposing what they say are mandatory sanctions against the pipeline under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (see 2110010015), but the administration has said sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG would do little to stop the pipeline’s completion. The senators hope congressional support for sanctions in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act would place more pressure on the administration.
“Since the Biden Administration refused to impose mandatory congressional sanctions on NS2 earlier this year, Russia has cut gas transit through Ukraine and amassed troops and military equipment on the Ukrainian border,” Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Nov. 8. “So long as the administration continues to ignore the bipartisan will of Congress, we will continue to push legislation that protects our allies and interests in Europe, while countering the Kremlin’s malign influence projects.”