Ukraine's Naftogaz welcomes expansion of US sanctions against Russia's Nord Stream 2

Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz on October 21 welcomed the United States' decision to broaden the sanctions against Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. According to ANI, Naftogaz in a statement on Wednesday said that it supports the US State Department's decision to expand the sanctions against Nord Stream 2 project, that will supply gas from Russia to Germany from underneath the Baltic Sea upon completion. 

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The US State Department on Tuesday had announced that it was removing the sanctions exemption, paving the way for new embargos to be imposed on the pipeline project.

Last year, the United States President had signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that required vessels involved in Nord Stream 2 immediately to cease construction-related activity. The involved parties were threatened with sanctions if they fail to comply with the Act.

Read: Germany Faces Pressure To Drop Russian Pipeline Project Over Navalny's Poisoning

Why sanction Nord Stream 2?

The United States accuses Russia of using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project as a tool to support its continued aggression against Ukraine. Nord Stream 2 project upon completion would allow Russia to bypass Ukraine for gas transit to Europe through Germany, which would then deprive Kyiv of potential revenues. Washington says that Russia is seeking to prevent Ukraine from integrating more closely with Europe and the United States.

Read: Germany Denies Ruling Out Impact On Nord Stream Project Over Navalny’s Poisoning

The other obstacle that the Nord Stream 2 had faced recently, before the US sanctions, was the growing calls within Germany to withdraw from the project after the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Kremlin critic was poisoned using the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, which is classified as a chemical weapon by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).  

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