US considering possibility of partially lifting sanctions against Nord Stream 2 - Politico

The US presidential administration is studying the option of partially lifting restrictions on the russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, which would allow russia to export gas to Europe again.

This is what Politico writes.

As noted, such a step would mean a significant change in Washington's policy, because during Donald Trump's first term, the US introduced tough sanctions against this project. In 2021, Joe Biden partially lifted these measures, but after russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he renewed them.

A possible resumption of Nord Stream 2 would bring financial benefits to Moscow, but this would require the European Union's consent to import russian gas. Against the backdrop of Europe's policy of energy independence from russia, this currently looks unlikely. However, in the US, such a scenario could be perceived as a significant concession from the White House.

According to Politico, the idea of ​​lifting sanctions is being lobbied by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. He instructed his team to prepare a full list of current energy restrictions against russia. Witkoff, according to sources, has close ties to vladimir putin.

Despite the damage, one of the gas pipeline strands remains technically operational. The US has also previously imposed sanctions against another project - Arctic-2 LNG, which has the potential of more than 13 million tons of liquefied gas annually.

However, Witkoff's initiative has met with resistance among key government figures. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum oppose lifting the sanctions, arguing that it threatens the US liquefied gas market. They believe that the return of russian gas to Europe will significantly affect the competitiveness of the United States in the global energy market.

Lobbyists for the possible restart of the gas pipeline also include American businessman Stephen Lynch, who owns a stake in russian energy companies, and Matthias Warnig, a close associate of putin who is under sanctions.

The White House, the Department of State, and other official institutions are currently refraining from public statements on this issue.

Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, which was supposed to connect russia and Germany, bypassing Ukraine. Its length is 1,200 km, and its design capacity is 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

As a reminder, in March, the German authorities stated that they were not considering the possibility of launching the gas pipeline.

As a reminder, Germany is ruling out the resumption of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

At the same time, the EU postponed a ban on russian gas imports.