Nord Stream

The Biden administration waived sanctions on the company behind Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany and its chief executive, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 19, a move decried by critics of the project in Congress.

The US State Department expressed its strong opposition to the Turkish-Russian TurkStream gas pipeline saying that together with the Nord Stream 2 they undermine the European energy security and serve only the Russian interests.

US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are blatant protectionism aimed at advancing its liquefied natural gas on the European market, but the EU countries understand this and support the project, and thanks to this it will be completed, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told RBC TV.

The House of Representatives of US Congress (lower house) rejected a presidential veto on Monday. Thus, the provisions for the defense budget, which include the extension of sanctions against the Nord Stream-2 and Turkish Stream pipelines, enter into force. Both chambers, for the first time in Trump's presidency, have managed to override his veto.

"The USA is against the second line of the Turk Stream gas pipeline intended for gas supplies to Southeast Europe via Bulgaria, because our country views it as geostrategic project of Russia", the United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio. 

The US is opposed to the TurkStream gas pipeline, which carries Russian natural gas to southern Europe through Turkey and was inaugurated on Wednesday, and the Nord Stream pipeline through the Baltic Sea as undermining European energy security and unity, a senior State Department official has been quoted as saying.

Russia has started European gas deliveries through the new TurkStream pipeline to Turkey, Bulgaria's Bulgartransgaz said on Sunday, as Moscow looks to reduce shipments via Ukraine.

Russia is building TurkStream and doubling the capacity of NordStream across the Baltic Sea to Germany as part of plans to bypass Ukraine in its gas deliveries to Europe.

Turkey will launch TurkStream natural gas pipeline next month, energy and natural resources minister said on Dec. 27.

"We will launch TurkStream on Jan. 8. We will be indispensable in international markets with natural gas pipelines coming from both the east and north," said Fatih Dönmez in a meeting in the northwestern Bilecik province.

Russia will respond in kind to U.S. sanctions against the TurkStream and NordStream II projects, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Dec. 23.

Speaking at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament in Moscow, the Council of Federation, Lavrov said preparing a fitting response needs both time and analysis.

Germany accused the United States of interfering in its internal affairs on Dec. 21 for imposing sanctions on companies working on a major project to supply Western Europe with Russian gas.