U.S. Department of State not ruling out new sanctions against Nord Stream 2

The U.S. government is ready to use all tools, including sanctions, to ensure that Russia does not use Nord Stream 2 as a weapon, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

He said this at a briefing in Washington on Thursday, July 22, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"To be very clear, we are not relinquishing any tools available to us. And, in fact, we are adding several more to our arsenal," Price said.

He said the U.S. administration would follow a specific course of sanctions set by U.S. law.

"We are committed to following the law. We will continue to do that. Nothing that was released yesterday [in the U.S.-Germany statement on Nord Stream 2] changes that in any way. We will continue to follow the law," Price said.

He said the ultimate goal of the U.S.-Germany agreement on Nord Stream 2 was to ensure that Russia cannot use energy flows as a weapon against U.S. partners in the region, especially Ukraine.

"This administration is opposed to Nord Stream 2. That was true on January 20th. It is true on July 22nd, it will be true going forward," Price said.

He again called the Russian project a "bad deal" for Germany, for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole. "That's why in less than six months or so that we've been in office, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on five entities and five vessels, under PEESA, as amended, as well as on additional nine vessels within the Nord Stream 2 fleet owned by a sanctioned entity," Price said.

"For our part, we will continue to oppose this pipeline," he said.

The governments of the United States and Germany on July 21 issued a joint statement in which the parties agreed to the completion of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in exchange for energy security guarantees for Central and Eastern Europe.

op