US Senate to vote on Nord Stream-2 sanction bill on January 13
On January 13, the US Senate will vote on Republican Ted Cruz's bill to impose sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Europe, although it is not expected to receive enough support to pass.
Reuters reports about it.
The bill is scheduled for a vote at 21:45 Kyiv time.
Last month, Cruz struck a deal with Democrats to get a vote by January 14 on the pipeline in exchange for lifting his hold on dozens of nominees for ambassadors. Under the agreement, Cruz's bill would need 60 votes to pass, which is difficult given the equal distribution of power in the Senate.
Read also: US Senators Predict Fast Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2
Cruz's bill imposes sanctions on the pipeline within 15 days of its adoption, regardless of whether Russia invades Ukraine again, and will allow the US Congress to vote to reinstate sanctions if the president abandons them. Cruz said sanctions were needed immediately to halt the project.
The Gazprom pipeline is worth $ 11 billion and could be approved by German regulators in the middle of the year.
What is known
- On January 12, Democratic Senator Robert Menendez unveiled his bill to impose tough sanctions against the top Russian government and military officials, as well as key banking institutions, if Moscow launches hostilities against Ukraine. The bill, backed by Menendez, provides an alternative to Democrats who support sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and makes it difficult to pass the bill.
- Several U.S. Democratic senators said late on Monday after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden administration officials that they believe sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, backed by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, could harm relations with Germany.
- Last December, US President Joe Biden signed the 2022 defence budget, but new sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline were dropped in the document.
- Vice-Chancellor, Minister of Economy and Energy in the new German government Robert Habeck said that Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical mistake. He also spoke about the pressure from the previous government to put the gas pipeline into operation.
- On October 18, it became known that the first line of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline has already been filled with technical gas, and the commissioning of the second line is underway.
- Gazprom said that as of the morning of September 10, the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline was fully completed.
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