- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

US Senate Not Mulling Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 - Energy Committee

© AP Photo / Susan Walsh, FileIn this May 4, 2017, file photo, the U.S. flag flies in front of the Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington
In this May 4, 2017, file photo, the U.S. flag flies in front of the Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington - Sputnik International
Subscribe
HOUSTON (Sputnik) - The US Senate is not considering any legislation that would impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski told Sputnik.

"I don’t believe that there will be any sanctions that are being considered right now. It certainly has been part of the discussion — concern about Nord Stream 2", Murkowski said Monday. "But I am not aware that there has been anything proposed that we would be acting on".

The senator added that she has concerns about Russia "utilizing its resource wealth as a political leverage". The United States has expressed its opposition to the Nord Stream 2 project on numerous occasions, claiming that it was the means of alleged political control used by Russia to exert pressure on the European Union.

READ MORE: US Pushing Own Interests in EU When Blasting Nord Stream 2 — Bavaria Minister

The Russian authorities, in turn, argued that the US attitude toward the Nord Stream 2 project was explained by the desire to promote Washington's economic and energy interests in Europe and rejected the idea that the project might be political in its nature.

Nord Stream 2 - Sputnik International
Analyst on Nord Stream 2: Austria Has Europe's Support, Able to Stand Up to US
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian gas giant Gazprom and five European companies. The pipeline is projected to deliver 55 billion cubic meters (1.9 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas annually to countries in the European Union.

International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol told Sputnik on the sidelines of the annual CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Monday that the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 is for Russia and the participating countries in Europe to decide.

"North Stream 2 is, of course, between Russia and the countries in the region," Birol said. "They need to decide what does it bring in terms of economic growth, the energy mix, diversification and also the security of energy supplies between them".

READ MORE: US Intervention in Nord Stream 2 Will 'Skew' Market, Hurt Investment — Journo

Nord Stream 2 has been welcomed by some countries in Europe, while others — primarily the United States — have raised concerns over alleged danger of Europe's energy dependence on Russia and the subsequent diminished transit role of Ukraine.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала