Matthias Warnig, chief executive officer of Nord Stream 2 AG, is pictured. | Maxim Shemetov/AP Photo The Biden administration will allow sanction
The Biden administration will allow sanctions on the Russian company that built the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, two sources said Wednesday, a day after Germany blocked the pipeline’s certification because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Joe Biden is expected to announce the sanctions as soon as Wednesday against the company Nord Stream 2 AG and its German chief executive officer, Matthias Warnig, two sources briefed on the matter said. The move would reverse Biden’s decision last year to waive sanctions against the company and its head, a move that had infuriated some Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz
of Texas, who said it showed weakness toward Russia.
The $11 billion pipeline, which would double Russian gas deliveries from Germany, was awaiting a permit to start operations. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier has said that his government would suspend approval for the pipeline given Russia’s incursions into Ukraine.
The State Department, including Senior Adviser for Global Energy Security Amos Hochstein, had worked behind the scenes to help convince Germany to announce it would suspend the approval, an administration official said. After Scholz announced the suspension, the White House felt that the sanctions would not antagonize the U.S. ally, the official said.
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