Biden: sanctions against Nord Stream 2 would be counterproductive

The construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is about to be completed, and imposing sanctions on the project would be counterproductive for U.S. relations with Europe, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters outside the White House.

When asked about Washington’s decision not to impose sanctions on the project’s operator Nord Stream 2 AG, the U.S. leader said he opposed the project from the very beginning, but the pipeline was "almost completed" when he took office.

"To go ahead and impose sanctions now would, I think, be counterproductive in terms of our European relations," Biden said.

The Nord Stream 2 project implies the construction of two lines of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. By now, Nord Stream 2 is 95% completed.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 19 that Washington ditched the idea of imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 operator, Nord Stream 2 AG, and the company’s Chief Executive Officer Matthias Warnig.