By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators said on
Wednesday they could draft further sanctions on Russia's Nord
Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Moscow finishes laying pipes
for the project.
U.S. sanctions legislation originally sponsored by Senators
Ted Cruz, a Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, in
December halted work by Swiss-Dutch company Allseas on the
pipeline that aims to boost Russia's gas exports under the
Baltic Sea to Germany.
Now a Russian pipe-laying vessel aims to finish the
remaining 100 miles (160 km) of the project, led by state gas
company Gazprom. The pipeline, aimed at bypassing
Ukraine, could be launched by the end of 2020 or early next
year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
The Trump administration, like the Obama administration
before it, opposes the project on the grounds it would
strengthen Putin’s economic and political grip over Europe.
Lauren Blair Aronson, a spokeswoman for Cruz, said "all
options remain on the table" to stop Nord Stream 2 from being
completed. "There are still sanctions options that were drafted
and discussed in 2019, which would significantly broaden the
scope of sanctions," she said.
If last year's bill doesn't stop the project, Aronson said,
"of course those options will be revisited."
Shaheen "has been closely monitoring the situation in the
Baltic Sea and Russian attempts to circumvent existing sanctions
and is evaluating all options, including additional sanctions,"
said spokesman Ryan Nickel.
Nord Stream 2 did not immediately return a request for
comment. The Nord Stream 2 consortium includes Uniper,
Wintershall-Dea, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV
and Engie.
A senate aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said
some lawmakers had recently spoken with Richard Grenell, the
outgoing U.S. ambassador to Germany, about the possibility of
new sanctions legislation.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner
Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
