he State Department submitted a report to Congress announcing that a Russian ship, the Fortuna, and the Russian company that owns it, KVT-RUS, had been designated by the United States in a move toward the imposition of sanctions. In Trump’s last full day in office, though, the United States had announced sanctions on the same Russian ship and Russian company through the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
Under both former President Barack Obama and former President Donald Trump, the United States opposed the the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, designed to carry Russian natural gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. The pipeline would bypass Ukraine, denying that U.S. partner the money it would make helping transport the energy itself, as the Kremlin attempts to squeeze Ukraine and gain influence in Europe.
Critics of the Russian pipeline project seen it as a malign foreign influence operation by the Kremlin. Sanctions that the Trump administration placed on the Russian pipeline
Allowing this pipeline to be completed would be nothing short of a victory for Vladimir Putin. Therefore, we expect a briefing from the State Department as soon as possible to discuss when the Biden Administration plans to take further action against additional Russian entities currently engaged in sanctionable activity as is required by law.”
McCaul’s office argued that the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act and Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Clarification Act “authorized mandatory sanctions on vessels engaged in pipelaying and pipelaying activities, and companies that provide support services or facilities for those vessels, and those that provide insurance, reinsurance or pipeline testing, inspection, or certification services.”
Under both former President Barack Obama and former President Donald Trump, the United States opposed the the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, designed to carry Russian natural gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. The pipeline would bypass Ukraine, denying that U.S. partner the money it would make helping transport the energy itself, as the Kremlin attempts to squeeze Ukraine and gain influence in Europe.
Critics of the Russian pipeline project seen it as a malign foreign influence operation by the Kremlin. Sanctions that the Trump administration placed on the Russian pipeline
Allowing this pipeline to be completed would be nothing short of a victory for Vladimir Putin. Therefore, we expect a briefing from the State Department as soon as possible to discuss when the Biden Administration plans to take further action against additional Russian entities currently engaged in sanctionable activity as is required by law.”
McCaul’s office argued that the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act and Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Clarification Act “authorized mandatory sanctions on vessels engaged in pipelaying and pipelaying activities, and companies that provide support services or facilities for those vessels, and those that provide insurance, reinsurance or pipeline testing, inspection, or certification services.”
