The United States has decided to punish European businesses for participating in the Nord Stream 2 project • The Bell • RIMA

The United States has decided to punish European businesses for participating in the Nord Stream 2 project

The imposition of sanctions on energy companies from the European Union (primarily Germany) associated with Nord Stream 2 is a priority scenario for the Donald Trump administration, according to three well-informed Foreign Policy sources.

Details

According to the publication, the White House is considering other ways to block Nord Stream, but key figures in the administration see sanctions as the "most likely" version.
“They will stop at nothing to block Nord Stream,” one source told FP, referring to the Trump administration.
The sanctions could further heighten tensions between the US and Germany, where officials are already "exasperated" by Trump's latest move to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and a " trade war ," FP notes.
Washington and many countries in Central and Eastern Europe fear that the pipeline will further increase Europe's dependence on Russian energy resources.

Context

The US State Department has repeatedly promised sanctions against Nord Stream 2. “We have made it clear that companies associated with the Russian export gas pipeline sector are engaging in sanctions-risk business,” a State Department spokeswoman told Foreign Policy this time.
As The Wall Street Journal wrote in May, during a personal meeting in April, US President Donald Trump demanded that German Chancellor Angela Merkel withdraw support for the gas pipeline project, promising in return to start new negotiations on a "trade war" (since June, the US has imposed duties on European steel and aluminium).
In early April, Trump, at a meeting with the leaders of the Baltic countries, criticized Germany for participating in Nord Stream 2. “Germany is going to spend billions on energy from Russia… This is wrong,” he said.
. Experts cited two key reasons for US opposition to construction as the US desire to replace Russia as a gas supplier to European countries by increasing liquefied natural gas supplies to Europe, as well as reducing the role of Ukraine as a transit country for Russian gas

Artem Gubenko