Germany considers sanctions against USA for Nord Stream 2 standoff

Germany considers imposing sanctions against the United States for the actions that the US administration has been taking lately in relation to the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.

The proposal came from Steffen Kotré, a member of the Bundestag Committee on Energy, Alternative for Germany Party, RIA Novosti reports. 

Kotré claimed that the German government was opposed to US actions only verbally, which leaves the project still in jeopardy. According to the politician, Berlin should think about retaliatory measures, such as, for example, raising duties on the supplies of liquefied natural gas from the United States.

The United States decided not to impose sanctions on the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, news agencies reported on May 19. The report in particular said that the pipeline was an activity that could be subject to sanctions, but the Joe Biden administration decided not to do it, Bloomberg reported. 

Later, the US State Department confirmed the decision not to impose sanctions against the pipeline. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed out that it was part of the national interests of the United States to suspend the implementation of sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, its head Matthias Warnig and corporate employees of Nord Stream 2 AG. At the same time, the United States would still be opposed to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline system.