US does not rule out further action against Nord Stream 2

Washington does not exclude the introduction of further measures against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing. The broadcast was on YouTube.

Price recalled that in February, the department submitted a report to Congress with a list of participants in the construction of the pipeline. As a result of this report, the administration of President Joe Biden added the Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna and its owner, KVT-Rus, to another sanctions list. The barge and its owner were sanctioned under the European Energy Security Protection Act (PEESA). Prior to this, Fortuna was sanctioned under the CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions) Act.

"Of course, this is not the end of the story," said a State Department spokesman. Price indicated that the department should provide Congress with its analysis every 90 days on what activities related to Nord Stream 2 are subject to restrictions. The next such report is expected in May. “If we come to the conclusion that other entities are engaged in activities subject to sanctions in accordance with the PEESA law <...>, we will report this,” he said.

On March 3, a group of 40 US senators called on Biden to introduce new restrictions against companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2. The letter (.pdf) was published on its website by one of the signatories, Republican Senator John Barrasso.