In the wake of a press conference held Tuesday to announce new sanctions, President Biden put forth a statement on Wednesday talking about additional sanctions being placed on the Russian-controlled company in charge of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The news crops up roughly nine months since Old Uncle Joe took action to waive the entrenched sanctions already in place against the company run by Matthias Warning, a former Stasi agent in East Germany and a longtime personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Since Russia began deploying troops to the Ukrainian border, the United States has worked closely with our Allies and partners to deliver a strong, unified response. As I said when I met with Chancellor Scholz earlier this month, Germany has been a leader in that effort, and we have closely coordinated our efforts to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia further invaded Ukraine,” put forth Biden in his newly released statement.
“Yesterday, after further close consultations between our two governments, Germany announced that it would halt certification of the pipeline. Today, I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers. These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate,” continued the release.
“Through his actions, President Putin has provided the world with an overwhelming incentive to move away from Russian gas and to other forms of energy. I want to thank Chancellor Scholz for his close partnership and continued dedication to holding Russia accountable for its actions,” exclaimed Biden.
“The Biden administration has waived sanctions on a company building a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany,” BBC News stated back in May of 2021. “The US also lifted sanctions on the executive — an ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin — who leads the firm behind the Nord Stream 2 project.”
“A State Department report sent to Congress concluded that Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO, Matthias Warnig, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, engaged in sanctionable activity,” Reuters claimed at the time. “But Blinken immediately waived those sanctions, saying that it was in the U.S. national interest.”
Back in early January, Ned Price, the State Department spokesperson for Biden, claimed that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will “not move forward” if Russian chooses to invade Ukraine.