UA
FR
DEAt its meeting on Friday, 21 May, the Parliament of Ukraine approved an appeal to the United States of America with a request to impose sanctions on the participants in the Nord Stream 2 project.
“The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine calls on the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 117th United States Congress to use all available tools foreseen by U.S. law to completely and irreversibly stop the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline by imposing blocking sanctions on all participants in this Russian geopolitical project, in particular Nord Stream AG,” reads the appeal.
The parliamentarians also expressed concern that the additional sanctions proposed by the U.S. Department of State in the report to the Congress did not provide for measures against the key company-participant in Nord Stream 2 project – the Nord Stream AG.
MPs note that the Nord Stream 2 geopolitical project is another attempt by the Russian Federation to use energy as an instrument of hybrid warfare, which directly threatens the energy security of both Ukraine and Europe.
In addition, Ukrainian lawmakers underscore that domestic and international courts are considering several cases of involvement of Russian officials in the organisation of terrorist acts, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Ukraine. In particular, the cases concern the facts of illegal seizure of oil and gas companies in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, as well as energy supplies to illegal armed formations and terrorist organisations.
The appeal emphasises that the concentration of Russian pipelines in the Baltic Sea may give Russia a reason to actively protect Nord Stream 2, starting with formal procedures for controlling the movement of ships in the Baltic Sea and then, as in the case of Ukraine, exhibiting more aggressive behaviour – blockade of ships, influence on trade in the region.
Meanwhile, Die Welt claims that U.S. President Joe Biden continues to “tighten the screws” in the dispute over Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline although it seems that he has switched to a conciliatory tone.
Bohdan Marusyak
