The Trump administration has taken a number of steps in its attempts to stop the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, designed to cover Europe's growing natural gas needs at costs lower than buying American LNG, as POTUS earlier suggested that the EU should do.
Proponents of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should not place too much hope in Democrat Joe Biden making a U-turn on Trump's sanctions policy against the pipeline, should the former be elected president, the German Bild newspaper said. In fact, Biden might be even tougher on the project, seeking to “bury” it at all costs, for example by sanctioning insurance and certification companies, something Washington has reportedly already been mulling for some time.
The media outlet cites an aide to former US President Barack Obama, Benjamin Schmitt, who opined that both Republicans and Democrats oppose construction of the joint European-Russian project. Former Secretary-General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, echoed Schmitt's stance, and expressed regret that potential future US sanctions might hurt Dutch certification company Det Norske Veritas.
Energy security expert Alan Riley said that sanctions may only stall the project, but Biden would seek to end it for good. Riley suggested that the Democrat might come up with a comprehensive security package aiming to replace Russian gas with green energy – something that Germany and other European states hope to achieve by the middle of this…
